PROPHECY
by basedinlondon
Summary: "Another is born as the ninth month dawns child not to the vessel that births her. The true mother will rise. The world will burn at her feet, from the ashes the dawning of a new age. The men will bow to their queen. The goblins will kneel. The centaurs will hail. The age of Nagual is near." The story of Gienah Black, daughter of Sirius Black and half-sister of Harry Potter. 1/3
1. A Thousand Years Or More Ago

Chapter One: **A Thousand Years Or More Ago**

Dear reader, before I begin this story I offer you a prelude, a little history lesson from the days of Merlin the Wild. Merlin lived a thousand years ago, add or take a few decades. There are many legends concerning the renowned wizard but in this story it is not Merlin with who we are concerned but his father, the infamous incubus Lilu, and the mother he failed to seduce; Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians.

This segment tells the story of Aesthelflaed's downfall. A historic event that took place between the dirty sheets of aristocrats and have plagued commoners since. A domestic tragedy of sibling rivalry, the love of a mother and unspeakable power. One of the greatest plays Shakespeare ever wrote was King Lear. The tale of three daughters and the father's descent into madness. This is a tale of one son and his descent into madness. Having slain his sisters, captured his Queen and played out his very own revolution he was poisoned by a lover and his revolution never came to be how he had planned it to be. Not to say there wasn't a revolution.

A revolution is a fundamental change in power that occurs in a short space of time, marked by blood and violence. They call the French Revolution the mother of all revolutions in the modern world. When Lilu came to the throne he called his the White Revolution with his delusions of a world where wizards could forge their own fate. Where they would not be held back by the inferior races. They would be free to stretch their wings and reach the peaks of greatness. They would return to the days of the Greek Gods and the Roman Empire. While the White Revolution did not succeed in its aims, it was a revolution all the same. If the French Revolution was the Mother of the Modern World, the White Revolution was the Son of the Ancient World. That is to say the decadent, devious and destructive son. For a thousand years we have lived in consequence of his actions.

You may ask what do we know which age was superior to which. We are familiar with our lot in life and perhaps this beginning does reek of nostalgia but does it matter whether we know a better world was once out there, in another time or place or dimension? That we are able to dream of our utopia, is that not hope enough to be sustained that if our imaginations are capable of such a life we can will it so? Gienah Elladora Black grows up in a relative peaceful age. Post-Grindelwald and post-Voldemort the wizarding world celebrated and believed their little sanctuary was safe. The muggles may wish to kill each other with their mass weapons but what business is it of ours? They have their laws, we have ours.

Her own life was much darker than the ordinary wizard though she had much happiness in it too. Sister to a boy destined to confront the darkest wizard of recent memory once more, she was trained from a young age to defeat a man who would go by any means, however despicable, to reach his goal, his own ideal society. While they fought the external enemy they could pretend to be pro-muggle, pro-integration and pro-society. They put it so prettily don't they? Even great wizards like Dumbledore. The muggles must never know of the wizarding world because they would depend on our magic too much, they would feel threatened, they would exterminate our kind. This story asks for the good of whose society?

But I digress.

Merlin was the illegitimate son of a monastic Royal Princess of Dyfed. Merlin's father, Lilu, was an angel who had visited the royal nun and left her with child. Merlin's enemies claimed his father was really an incubus, an evil spirit that has intercourse with sleeping women. The evil child was supposed to provide a counterweight to the good influence of Jesus Christ on earth. Merlin, fortunately, was baptized early on in his life, an event which is said to have negated the evil in his nature, but left his powers intact. Or so the muggles say.

Of course, there is no such thing as incubi and succubi, though there is something satisfying in accusing someone of being such a creature. Lilu however may as well be an incubus given his history. Lilu was the one son of the Queen Aethelflaed, along with twelve sisters all very beautiful and noble. Before Lilu tricked his mother into a fortress designed to kill the most powerful creature on earth, the world was very different than the one our heroine, Gienah Elladora Black, is born into where magic is shrouded in secrecy, growing incestuous and segregated from the muggle world.

Muggle is a strange word, created by wizarding folk. It means to say non-magical folk but of course all creatures are magical by degree. Muggle folk have an incredible ability to harness the elements around them a create magic of their own. You may call it science if you prefer, but there is no denying them of their own powers.

The Nagual have a natural authority on earth. You may dislike the idea of a natural hierarchy but with such creatures as these there is no denying such beauty, power and wisdom is deserving of the crowns they wear and the harmony and peace that they promote. Lilu grew to loathe his Queen, longing himself to become the natural ruler on earth and to command every kind of creature to walk upon the planet, that takes to the skies and swims in its seas. You may call this the beginning of the patriarchy if you will. Patriarchy that come with all its connotations of power and domination and a complete disregard for the natural way of things.

The story thus begins when Lady of the Marciens, Queen of all things, commander of the land, the sky and the seas, was trapped in a fortress that blinded her of sight in a darkness some would call hell without fire. Her daughters were slaughtered and Lilu claimed his place as ruler. Lilu the tyrant lived many a year ruling with an iron fist. And then he gave birth to one of the greatest wizards in history and fell to his death in the most unspectacular way. Quietly he was poisoned by one of his many lovers and soon he was forgotten as was the old world and the old order. A thousand years or more later however, hope came in the form of a little girl.

Aethelflaed could not see. She had either been blinded or the world where she roamed was a world without light. She was naked and cold. Her arms were free, and feet unshackled and she walked upon a hard stone floor. She closed her eyes and felt wings sprout from her shoulders. Aethelflaed swooped up and sought for a light. Somewhere. Anywhere. But the darkness was ongoing. She had no recollection of how she had got here. Images of women ran through her mind. Beautiful women with dark hair and light eyes, tall and slender and formidable. Then a boy. A man with curly yellow hair and blue eyes. A miraculous occurrence with intelligent, cruel eyes. A mouth too sweet. Too pretty.

"Lilu!" Aethelflaed called.

She heard a boy laugh. A child's laugh. A laugh that chilled her very bones. In her fortress she was trapped. The end of her line. The women had their cut throats. That she recalled. The sickening feeling in her stomach. She had borne children of great beauty. She had borne one of great evil. Evil outlived goodness. Lilu had murdered his sisters in cold blood. In envy. Seduced them with his wanton eyes. Lilu had wanted Aethelflaed. The Queen. He failed. He lashed out in fury.

"Can I not be king?" Lilu had demanded, his voice no longer sweet and filled with lust, but greed and desire.

"What you speak of is a world I cannot accept. It will be the end of magical harmony Lilu."

"The end of hierarchy!" Lilu roared. His blue eyes turned to ice.

"You have your riches, your beauty, a loving family… what more Lilu?"

"I want your throne, your crown, a path I can carve of my own…" Lilu stretched his neck. It felt so good to be honest for once.

"Your world order will fail to thrive my darling son." Aethelflaed whispered. "Condemned to secrecy and creatures in arms. Wand against sword. Hoof against fin. What is so desirable of destruction?"

"You see destruction I say revolution. You see harmony, I see decay." Lilu spoke like a true aristocratic.

"If I cannot be King, you shall die and I will take my humble position before their people as the Prince." Lilu smiled in all his finery. "How would you like to die?"

But this is worse than death. She was withering away. The last of the Nagual.


	2. Babes Born in Flames

Chapter Two: Babes Born in Flames

A large black dog sped spectacularly through the darkened streets of Godric's Hollow. It was Halloween and there was a hanging gloom which lingered the town. Suddenly the dog stopped and seemed to disappear as a man took its place, The man looked haunted as he stood outside a wreckage, the remains of the secret house, the last of the Potter's. No longer enchanted the blasted cottage shamefully stood out in the open. The building looked as if it would fall in any second, yet stood eerily still. Sirius Black released a howl as he dropped helplessly on his knees. He shook with grief as his worst fears were confirmed. His best friend, Lily… his godson.

A huge shadow caught Black's attention. Instinctively he whipped out his wand and sunk into the darkness. He watched the shadow emerge from the wreckage. The thing too seemed shaken. Black heard a pitiful sobbing.

"Hagrid" Black sighed with relief. His voice was hoarse with emotion. The half-giant said nothing and walked towards him. Black then saw the bundle of blankets clutched in Hagrid's arms and allowed himself to feel a glimmer of hope. "Hagrid?"

Hagrid's tear stained face looked down at the once-handsome man broken with grief and aged by war. He clumsily handed the bundle to Black who looked stunned as he clutched the life in his arms and pressed it against his chest. The grief in his heart continued to pulse but it was numbed with the joy contained in his arms fast asleep. Harry lived. A fresh set of tears swamped Black's tired face. Harry lived!

Now the sadness ebbed away dominated by fury. Sirius seemed to be controlled by it as he robotically handed the bundle to Hagrid. "Go to Dumbledore. Take my bike. Take care of him".

"Sirius?" Hagrid asked puzzlingly. "Sirius! Oy!" Sirius had transformed and ran out of sight. Hagrid looked around warily and with a final glance, he too left the scene.

The house remained still, as though sustained by magic. A tragic beauty seemed to illuminate from the wreckage. Cutting through the gloom now with a sense of hope. This was the last destructive act Voldemort would have the power to do in a long time. Celebrations occurred in the wizarding world. Even muggles sensed the end of the unexplainable despair. While they all gathered in jubilation Sirius Black hunted. Every bone in his war torn body was fired up with swift revenge. "Peter Pettigrew must die."

While Black hunted his prey fled panic-stricken in the form of his animagus; a common garden rodent. Peter Pettigrew was lost. His mother had perished. The dark mark had faded leaving a mere shadow behind. The death eaters were being rounded up as he ran underground in the sewers. The Potters were dead. Dumbledore was alive. Remus and Sirius were alive. The order out in the open. The chances of his survival were slim. Sirius's eyes featured again and again in his nightmares. Blood thirsty. Peter knew him well enough to know Sirius was after him and wouldn't rest till he had killed him. Peter squeaked with terror and he glanced around the alleyway before transforming and as quick as a flash he disapparated.

"Do we have no imagination?" Sirius taunted. Peter Pettigrew shook with terror as his attempt to apparate failed him. "Tut tut, is Peter trapped?" Sirius was thoroughly enjoying this but half of him was repulsed and it took great restraint for him to delay strangling the treacherous coward at first opportunity. He wanted Peter to suffer. The two men were in the Shrieking Shack. Black stood by the door lazily as Peter searched frantically for a way to escape.

"Sirius" Peter pleaded. "It wasn't me."

"Save the lies" Sirius spat. "Haven't you had enough? How pathetic could you get I had always wondered but I believe, yes, you've reached the all time low. Sacrificing your friends who have protected you, cared for you, loved you, for what? To become a servant?"

That word pathetic.. It still hurt.

"Sirius I tried to resist but I was under the imperius curse, you have to believe me!" Peter whimpered.

"Crucio" Sirius calmly casted. Peter's rat-like squeals echoed off the walls. "Believe you? You double crossing coward. Believe you?" Sirius's laugh joined the echoes of pain.

Sirius suddenly relaxed his wand. Peter lay on the floor breathless. His dirt entrenched hair was sprawled on his face.

"No, the real question is. What to do with you?"

"Expelliarmus!" Peter had taken advantage of Sirius's back turned and now leered at Sirius who stood fuming at himself. Wandless and reckless Sirius wasn't about to let the rat slip away as Wormtail turned to apparate Sirius pounced in his animagi form, his claws sunk into Peter's back and they both spun into an ordinary muggle street.

People stopped to stare at the wild beast clawing the filthy looking man but before they could register the image the dog was now a man with a look of murder in his maddening eyes.

Sirius had resorted to muggle duelling, in his fit of rage he didn't even attempt to win back his wand but reached for Peter's throat. A panic stirred around him. Some muggles were screaming. "He's going to kill the poor man, someone call the police!" Sirius paid no attention to it. He was a man obsessed. He smiled like a cat that had got it's cream when his hands finally found itself around the traitor's neck, his weight forced Peter against the cold gravel. Bells rang from a distant church. Even the town drunk with his bottle of brandy all witnessed a bang explode from the two strange men and screamed as the impact, in a matter of seconds killed half the witnesses. The force radiating from the bang was immense and violent but invisible. Buildings cracked and began to crumble. The melted snow turned to ice. The finale was the small mousy figure, who had escaped the taller man, shouting with tears pouring down his filthy face "Lily and James, Sirius! How could you!" Then another bang followed blinding everyone for a moment. Peter Pettigrew had vanished. His robes stood in the place he had been standing a bloody finger. Next to the bloody mess was a hole which had blasted through the street causing cracks into the infrastructure streets from the epicentre.

Sirius burst into laughter, cursing himself for failing to avenge his friends deaths. Without his wand he stood in the catastrophe and looked around and bellowed with laughter. Was he mad? Sirius thought so. In the next minute cries from the survivors surrounded him. The magical law enforcement squad had apparated into the street and Black was stunned mid-laugh and transported to the Ministry of Magic. Witness statements were filed. Memories wiped. A cover story placed. Journalists flooded the scene from both worlds as news went international of the deaths by a madman.

When Sirius next woke his thoughts landed on little Gienah who he'd betrayed as father. Then he grew confused as he absorbed the scene around him. He was on a metal bed with a single sheet. The only light came from a slit in the door. The room was windowless. Then it dawned on him. He had been arrested. Sirius had to be with Gienah, with Harry. He couldn't be imprisoned. "OPEN THE DOOR! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME? LET ME OUT." He roared and to no response. His screams continued into the night. He shouted till he could no more. Until his voice represented his dying hope. A bare whisper. "Gienah..."

On November the 1st little Harry had awoken to two strange faces staring down at him. A pink fat face, framed with two additional necks and a stupendous mustache glared at the boy with piggy eyes and a look of deep mistrust. A horse faced woman with an incredibly long neck, pale face and a snooty nose too looked at Harry. She looked terrified of him. Harry took in this strange sight and whimpered longing for the smiling people who he normally woke up to.

"Petunia I won't have it. He'll have to go to the orphanage." Vernon straightened his back after inspecting the boy. The scar on his forehead unnerved him. Petunia's purse lips thinned her hands clutching an opened letter shaking.

Harry began to cry. Petunia looked at the baby then looked to the letter in her hands. Her decision was made as she watched the newly made orphan with those eyes that resembled, unnervingly, those of her sisters.

Outside four Privet Drive all was quiet. The lights which had mysteriously momentarily lapsed were back on casting the streets in shadow. Lurking in the dark outside the kitchen window was a man wearing a set of shabby robes and a somber expression on his face. Remus Lupin watched the animated argument inside Petunia's gleaming kitchen as the cradle sat on the table between them.

"What about Dudley?" snarled Vernon. "It might rub off on him!". Petunia retired to a chair and snapped "It doesn't work like that." tried a new tack. "Petunia" he started resignedly. "You were reluctant to look at the boy ten minutes ago. What changed?"

Remus sunk onto the ground as he listened to the circular argument. His face was a thoughtful one but his eyes revealed the troublesome thoughts which bothered him tangled with grief and feelings of betrayal. He wondered why he had come here to sulk in the darkness. Dumbledore had explained and he was right as he always was, Harry was safest here.

Yet as he sat there listening to the reluctance of Harry's aunt and uncle to take him he could not help but feel surely he could give him what he would so obviously lack here.

But not safety a small voice piped up in his confusing thoughts. Yes Remus agreed. What was the value of love when Harry's life would be at a constant risk. Him being what he was. Could he rear two small children? Weary with himself for allowing the idea to occupy him he sobbed. It had overwhelmed him. Dorcus, Edgar, the Prewitts, Benjy... Peter, Lily, James. And Sirius.

Remus still couldn't believe it. Yet the facts spoke for themselves. Sirius had been secret keeper. The house had been discovered. He betrayed James. But it didn't tally with who Remus believed Sirius to be. How could he do this to Gienah? Such love could not be falsified.

"Fine. But we can't ever let him know who his parents were or what- what he is." Vernon sighed. Petunia agreed. "Never."

Lupin sat there long after the Dursley's vacated the kitchen. As it neared midnight Lupin stood up silently and disapparated.

Magnificent fireworks showered the sky far and wide. These were no ordinary fireworks as they shot miles into the sky and exploded into brilliant images of dragons and leprechauns. The source of all the mayhem was from Dedalus Diggle's backyard. Held under the velvet plum marquee stood floating at the centre were a few dozen witches and wizards either dancing or laughing. On the raised stage in the corner sang Celestina Warbeck wearing blood red dress robes with a surly band behind her playing an upbeat jazz number. On the dance floor Ludo Bagman moved the most animatedly surrounding by a crowd of shrieking girls and Gilderoy Lockhart.

The song ended and the marquee rang with applause and encores when Minerva McGonagall apparated onto the stage right next to Celestina. There was a brief silence as the audience took in the stern appearance of the grey haired lady who surveyed the party with clear disapproval with her bespectacled hawk-like eyes. A complete contrast to the vivacious velvet clad singer next to her affronted at the interruption. "Fancied a duo did we Minerva?!" Ludo bellowed winking at the professor as the party resumed in titters. Minerva merely set her jaw and stepped briskly off the stage and called sharply "Diggle!".

Dedalus DIggle was a squat wizard with a large purple top hat worn tall and a matching exuberant smile. "Minerva dear finally! I suppose you can tell us where Albus has got to? He did say-" He stopped at the look on her face which looked unusually unsettled.

"Minerva?"

"The Potters.." she began. At the mention of the Potter's Bertha Jones joined them. Minerva looked weary in continuing for the bubbly plump witch who was known for her aptitude in little else but gossip. Dedalus knew Minerva well enough to put down his drink and fetch a chair. As Minerva sat down she tried again. "Dead."

"Didn't I say!" Bertha cried jubilantly. Dedalus's look of concern turned into shock then horror. No he mouthed and conjured a chair for himself. Bertha began to ask "Young Harry too?" when Greta Catchlove, a tall thin witch, caught sight of Minerva.

"Minerva I didn't know you'd-" but like Dedalus stopped once she absorbed the two sat down; Minerva close to tears, Dedalus looking as though he'd been petrified and Bertha looking breathless with anticipation.

"No" she sniffed seeming to regain her composure. "He somehow survived."

As the wizarding world celebrated little Gienah Elladora Black was fast asleep in a cottage in Wales.


	3. Flown the Nest

Chapter Three: **Flown the Nest**

Remus Lupin struggled but not one moment had he regretted his decision in taking young Gienah under his wing. Nights of the full moon Andromeda took her in for three nights. In the days he brought Gineah along with him to work at a second hand muggle bookstore. Gienah was a bright little witch and had certainly inherited the Marauder mischief. Her hair was black like her fathers but her eyes were an exact replica of her mothers. Almond shaped and vivid green.

This story began when Gienah Elladora Black was borne in secret. A bright muggleborn witch by the name of Lily Potter had managed to conceal her pregnancy until the very moment she gave birth from her doting husband. The beautiful and esteemed Lily could not bear to break her husband's heart and was set on placing her in an orphanage. Left to her mother, Gienah's grandmother, her fate appeared to be sealed. But Gienah's grandmother could not bare to leave her first granddaughter upon the doors of a charity. Writing to the father who knew not that he had ever had a daughter, her grandmother saved her from a life of isolation. But there is another little girl in this story who did grow up in an orphanage, much like her father… But that story I will leave for another day.

Black read the letter and was fuming, and quite rightly too. Taking her from her grandmother he hid her away from prying eyes. Between Sirius and Lupin they did their best. Two more doting fathers would be a rare sight indeed. That was until he was imprisoned. Lupin refused to visit him in Azkaban. Gienah called him father and he hadn't the heart to tell her her real father was condemned to live a half life behind bars among the darkest creatures known to roam the earth.

Spending most of her days among dusty books Gienah grew fond of reading. She devoured books. Most of all she loved fantasies and adventures. She longed to battle dragons and vanquish dark wizards. She wanted to be the knight in shining armour wielding a sword against the horrid hags, the dim witted trolls and the evil sorceresses. For her birthdays she accumulated fancy dress items and with her cousin they fought till the death. Nymphadora was Gienah's best friend despite being six years older than her. When she was five Dora left and they could only play in the summer but soon she didn't want to _play_ anymore. Andromeda had another baby girl called Lyra but Gienah could not play the same games she played with Nymphadora with her. She was too young. Gienah was an imaginative child however and so the loss was not great. Living in Wales the woodland was vast and mountains common. The wildebeest were her friends. She spoke to the foxes and squirrels, the snakes and the rabbits. Wherever she went they'd follow her and she'd tell them stories from the books she'd read and often made them up. Gienah loved her childhood. Her father was poor but kind. He read to her before bed. They had their custom hot chocolate. On their days off they went for walks in the woods, swimming in the stream. Lupin loved cooking so when Gienah looked back to her childhood it was aromatic. Fresh bread on Sundays, coffee in the mornings and the waft of cinnamon in her hot chocolate most nights.

When she was seven Gienah discovered something about herself. They had gone camping into the mountains. Night was dawning and they had stopped on a mountain ledge. A small cave. Gienah had stayed out by the edge to look at the view. It was breathtaking. Edging closer the rock beneath her gave way. She screamed. Lupin stopped setting up the tent and ran but too late. She was falling. Gienah closed her eyes and wished desperately that she could fly. The next thing she knew she was hovering midair. Except when she looked down she saw black feathers. She had wings! She flew back up to Lupin who was waving his wand, placing a cushioning charm on the rocky ground below. She perched on his shoulder and saw he was weeping silently as he looked frantically for her on the ground. She pecked on his cheek. He took no notice. Opening her mouth she realized she could not speak. She closed her eyes and imagined arms and legs, smooth skin, fingers and toes, hair instead of feathers. Lips instead of a beak. Opening her eyes she saw she had transformed. Lupin turned as he heard her fall on the ground beside him.

"Gienah!" He cried, holding her close against his chest.

"Daddy" she laughed. "I turned into a birdy daddy!"

"Well done baby" Lupin sighed. "Your first bit of accidental magic I dare say".

"I can do magic like you?" Gienah jumped up and down with joy. "Can I make fire and disappear and fix things?"

"Not yet love." Lupin laughed. "But you will."

But later both Lupin and Gienah came to realize she had not just performed any kind of ordinary magic. Gienah was able to transform into a number of animals at will. Lupin did a little research and discovered Gienah was a shapeshifter. Half-human. Lupin told Gienah she must never tell anyone their little secret.

When she was seven Lupin decided to place Gienah in a muggle primary school. The girl was half-blood after all and he was sure Lily would have preferred that she stayed in touch with her muggle heritage. Gienah was unaccustomed to the number of people she saw day to day, preferring animals for company at first. Before long she began to enjoy learning history and art and literature. Her imagination thrived and soon she was asking Lupin to play ancient mummies or battle of the roses with him. She made a friend with one girl who was quiet but inventive. In their breaks they would build sand castles and play dress up or read storybooks. Gienah had to be careful not to speak about magic and to keep her accidental magic under control.

One summers night during the full moon Gienah, Lyra and Pandora were playing werewolves and vampires, well, Pandora was two so she just ran around laughing while Gienah and Lyra did all the howling and growling, when Tonks came home and watched them for a while.

"Join us Nymphadora!" Lyra cried as she ran past Andromeda's cloak trailing after her.

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" Tonks growled and chased after her howling. In the end all four girls were muddy and sweating in the garden and looking up to the sky, watching the clouds part to reveal the full moon.

"Moon!" Pandora pointed.

"That's right Pan" Tonks said. "That's a full moon. You know what happens during the full moon?"

The three girls shook their heads.

"When the full moon is up in the night sky the cursed men transform into beasts, into the darkest creatures, they turn into… WEREWOLVES" Tonks suddenly shouted.

Pandora widened her grey eyes.

"Really, really?" Gienah asked, looking up at the round white penny in the sky.

Tonks raised her eyebrow and her hair turned from her usual bubblegum pink to a stern black, her nose became pointed and her lips thin.

"I'll show you." Tonks said.

Tonks brought one of her old textbooks and flipped to a page with a diagram of a werewolf near a diagram of a man. Gienah borrowed the book that night and soon became intrigued, if not obsessed. When she returned home and Lupin was experiencing his usual exhaustion from his nights camping Gienah made him a bowl of soup on a breakfast tray in his bedroom and ran to their well stocked library. There must be something on magical dark creatures. After a few minutes, she was on the very top of the ladder, when she found not just one book with a passing mention of werewolves but a shelf filled with books dedicated to the creature. Gienah was overjoyed. The next few weeks it became her favourite hobby. Reading straight after school and before falling to sleep, sometimes she took it to school and read in the back of her classes.

By the time of the next full moon Gienah was well versed and it dawned on Gienah that not one full moon had Lupin missed a chance to go camping and that these expeditions would always last three days followed by his exhaustion. Gienah had also seen his glamoured scars, nights when she couldn't sleep or mornings she went to wake him up. She'd asked, of course she had but he had said they were a childhood scar. A vicious dog. But now she knew a dog's scratches could be healed all together. Werewolf scratches on the other hand.. That night she had to test out her hypothesis and when Andromeda bid her good night in her small guest room, Gienah opened the window and flew to the cottage. Gienah scoured the woods and the mountains. Her little wings tired from flying she perched on a tree and then she heard it. The haunting sound of a wolf howling. The howls she imitated with Lyra became a harmless tooting of an owl, the chirping of a hummingbird. Gienah flew as fast as her little wings could take her and she finally saw him. The werewolf. He was running through the woods frantically, he seemed to be running in circles. He howled again, and it sounded like a cry for help. Gienah felt her heart break for the lonely werewolf. Gienah then remembered how wolves only harmed humans. Gienah wondered… She flew down from her branch and flew around the werewolf. The werewolf began pawing at her, but not viciously. She flew one way then another, playing with him, teasing him to jump and crouch. Gienah laughed as he purred and whined. His tail wagged. All night she kept him company and when he finally slept Gienah flew back to Andromeda's house and fell asleep with dreams of a werewolf and a little sparrow. And so her days passed. Nights with werewolves, weekends playing with her godmother's daughters and days spent in school.

Eventually the time had arrived to leave for Hogwarts. Many tears were shed and much cake consumed. Lupin knew she would be in the same year as her half-brother and hoped the uncanny similarity would go unnoticed. But with their shared dark hair and vivid green eyes he knew it would be unlikely. Everything else about her was Black. The dimple on her chin, the high brow, wide forehead and naturally pouting lips. The night before her departure they shared their hot chocolate and he breathed in deeply before telling his surrogate daughter "I have something to tell you."

"Oh oh." Gienah widened her eyes, knowing that look. That look when he'd told her he couldn't afford to buy her a broomstick or when he had to work on her birthday.

"Remember what I said about your mother?"

"That she died a long time ago" Gienah said quietly. They hardly talked about her.

"Well, she had a son with another man a few months after she had you".

"I have a brother?"

"A half-brother called Harry. Harry Potter."

"Not Black?"

"No darling, not a Black. You see your mother and father did not love each other. You were a.. accident." He said this painfully. "But your father loved you very much."

"My mother abandoned me?" Gienah whispered.

"She had no choice."

"But where is my father?"

"I can't tell you." Lupin choked out.

"Does he love me?"

"In his own way he does."

"Then why did he leave me?" Her eyes were glassy with tears.

"That's something you'll have to ask him yourself" Lupin said gently. "But I'm telling you that Harry Potter will be at Hogwarts this year. And he doesn't know he has a sister."

"Does anyone know?"

"Only Andromeda, your father and I."

"I can't tell him?" Gienah sulked.

"No, darling." Lupin said sadly. "I don't think you can."

"Why not?"

"Lily had planned that you would never know your true parents. We must respect her wishes." Lupin said sternly.

"What about me and my brothers wishes?!" Gienah rose to her feet angry tears in her eyes.

Lupin was quiet for a moment, for she made a valid point and it was they who lived, and she who had died.

"Gienah" Lupin said sadly. "If that's what you want."

Gienah hugged him once more and was torn between mourning her little brother and excitement from seeing him for the first time. Lupin retreated into the kitchen, made himself another hot chocolate, splashing some whiskey in it. He sat back in his favourite armchair and thought about his best friends son growing up with those horrible relatives. He wondered if he should have fought harder.

Gienah held Lupin's hand as they entered the train station, her ticket in hand. Lupin pushed her trolley through the barrier and into platform nine and three quarters. Gienah looked at the bustling platform filled with children of all ages and fussing parents. Lupin helped her trunk into the train and then placed both hands on her shoulders knelt down and said firmly "You must stay out of trouble Gienah, write to me every week and tell no one about your shapeshifting."

"What about Harry?" Gienah asked nervously.

Lupin paused to think.

"Befriend him but don't tell him you are his sister. Invite him over for Christmas and we'll tell him together."

"Ok." Gienah hugged him tightly, tears falling as the reality of the situation hit her. She'd be living away for months at a time. Lupin wasn't her real father but she couldn't care less. He was her guardian. He'd taught her to read, been there to pick her up when she fell, comforted her when she cried, made her laugh when she felt down. Sirius Black may share her last name but he was the man in a faded photograph she'd once found in Lupin's library.

"I love you." He whispered as he gently withdrew from her embrace.

"I love you too" she cried. Lupin helped her onto the train just as it began to move. She wouldn't go in until he resembled a dot in the distance. Wiping her tears she went to find an empty compartment. Most were full. She finally arrived at one with two students inside. They looked about her age. Gienah breathed deeply and knocked.

"Come in," came a confident voice. Gienah walked in and shyly asked if she could sit with them.

"Of course you can." The girl smiled brightly, revealing an impressive pair of front two teeth.

"I'm Gienah," she said as she sat down.

"I'm Hermione Granger and this is Neville Longbottom" Hermione said gesturing at the quiet boy beside her, clutching his frog close to his chest. He mumbled hello.

"I like your frog" Gienah blurted out.

Neville looked at up her and gave her a small smile.

"His name is Trevor."

"Hello Trevor" Gienah stroked the toad. Trevor croaked back at her.

"Do you both have magical parents?" Hermione asked a little nervously. "I'm a muggleborn you see. I'd never heard of wizards and witches before. I used to do magic and thought there must be something wrong with me. But Professor McGonagall explained everything to me and my parents in the summer. I couldn't believe it. My parents absolutely and resolutely refused until she changed into a cat! Right there and then! I'm sure I'll be frightfully behind everyone else with all the magic they've known since birth but I've read everything I possibly can over the summer. We went to Diagon-" Hermione stopped as Gienah stared, wondering when she would draw breath. "I'm talking too much aren't I? I'm dreadfully sorry. I suppose I talk when I'm nervous. It's an awful habit. And I'm doing it again!"

Neville and Gienah looked at each other before bursting out laughing. Hermione looked at them both before laughing too.

"My fathers a pureblood, mothers muggle-born but my real fathers half-blood." Gienah said, not really knowing what it's supposed to matter.

"I'm pureblood." Neville said, looking at his feet.

"You must know an awful lot of magic." Hermione gushed a little enviously.

"Not really." Keeping quiet about her transformations, which didn't really count. "I went to a muggle primary school".

"Yes, I read that was a new trend among children with mixed heritages." Hermione said formally.

Gienah didn't know what to make of the bushy haired girl. She seemed a little uppity if truth be told, but she was probably unaware of it. She seemed friendly enough. Eventually Hermione brought out one of the textbooks for reading and Neville dozed off against the glass, his mouth wide open, snoring lightly. Gienah wondered where her brother was right now and whether they would be friends at once and whether he'd know just by looking at her and how alike they looked. Eventually she began daydreaming of talking animals and upside down rooms in houses underground. The sun sinking into the earth and the moon rolling out of orbit. She too began to doze off. When the trolley came around she was awakened by the alluring smells coming off the trolley.

"Anything from the trolley dears?"

Lupin had given her a few sickles and she thought it best not to be wasted on food so she glumly shook her head. Hermione brought a pumpkin pasty and three licorice wands for each of them. Gienah blushed as she took one.

Neville awoke a few hours later. He yawned as he looked blearily around. "Trevor?" He looked frantically under the seats, on top of the luggage rack, but the toad was nowhere to be found. Neville left the carriage calling for Trevor. Hermione sighed and joined him. Gienah decided to stay behind in case the toad returned.

"We couldn't find him" Neville sat glumly back down after an hour of searching.

"He might turn up" Hermione offered, though her tone was not so hopeful.

"I'll have a look. I need to stretch my legs anyway," Gienah said with a sympathetic pat on the boys arm. She looked up and down the corridor. There was no one around. Closing her eyes she transformed into a toad and began to croak, hopping down the train. Frogs were social creatures. If he'd not been squashed Trevor was sure to respond.

"Ribbit" Gienah heard from behind her. Inwardly sighing she transformed back and ran to capture him between her hands. "Aren't you a naughty toad Trevor" She cooed at him as she walked back to her compartment.

"What do we have here?" Drawled a boy with a pointy face and shocking white blonde hair. "Talking to a toad witch?"

The boys flanking him grunted in what she assumed was laughter. Giennah did not like his tone or the sneer that marked his pointy face and so she attempted to side track the rude boy, holding Trevor closer to her.

"Now, now" the boy smirked. "We wouldn't want to be rude. I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

"Is that name meant to mean something to me?" Giennah said with her nose in the air. The natural aristocrat in her flared.

"Yes as a matter of fact. Don't tell me you're of the other sort. What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't." Giennah sniffed and turned sharply before walking away. Her long black hair almost slapped him in the face. Draco just watched her go. A small smile on his lips.

The rest of the was relatively short. They changed into their uniforms and waited to roll onto the platform. A huge man awaited their arrival. He seemed vaguely familiar. Calling for first years they huddled together. Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path to the edge of a great black lake where they got into boats in groups of four. She missed the boat with Hermione and Neville and managed to get lumbered with the snooty boy from the train.

"Hello again." Malfoy smirked. She wondered if maybe his smirk was the only way he could smile.

"Hello." Giennah politely replied.

"I feel like we've got off on the wrong foot. My apologies." He bowed his head and Giennah only stared.

"Apology accepted." Giennah said, nodding to him before she looked forward and saw the most beautiful sight she'd ever set her sights on. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. Magical. Hogwarts was without a doubt magical.

"And your name?" His tone had an edge of impatience on it.

"Why are you so interested?" She said after shaking her head. Her eyes narrowed at him.

"Common courtesy."

"What's more likely is that you're looking to determine my social status." Giennah said coldly. "I wouldn't bother Malfoy. My father and I live a humble life."

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle,

"That was uncalled for. I was merely…" he put on a hurt voice.

They reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"Gienah Black if you must know." Giennah snapped at him and then left the boat promptly.

"Black?" Malfoy murmured. "But the last Black..."

He looked around at his two acquaintances who only looked back at him blankly. Malfoy sighed.

Upon entering the hall the first years gasped once more. The Great Hall had an open ceiling with the night sky and floating candles. As the first years looked up with awe Hermione whispered, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." Four rows of tables faced the staff table placed upon a raised platform. The tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. Professor McGonagall led the first years up, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver and from the table on the far right she spotted a shock of pink hair. Tonks waved at her and Black smiled back at her cousin.

Then the hat began to burst into song!

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

Gienah was called shortly. "Black, Gienah" She thought she heard a few whispers at her name. Breathing deeply she braved the walk to the stool and placed the hat on her head.

"The last of the Black's. A shame Sirius failed to produce a male heir." Gienah rolled her eyes. Wizards were an antiquated breed. "I agree. But excuse my old ways, I am a thousand years old. Now, lets have a little look. A natural leader. Courageous if not a little reckless. Lover of lore. Loyal to a fault. And plenty of potential. It's got to be GRYFFINDOR!"

Glad to have made the same house as her father she walked dazedly to the Gryffindor table, shaking the hands of many of her fellow students. She noticed a few of the Slytherin's watching her closely. There was something different about that table. The students looked well groomed. The look of old money. She looked away and watched the sorting. Thankfully Hermione and Neville joined Gryffindor. She clapped loudly, budging up so Hermione could sit near her. Malfoy was placed in Slytherin. Surprise there. The boy stank of privilege.

And then it was Harry Potter. She took a sharp breath. She wasn't the only one. The whole hall erupted into whispers and murmurings. There was the last of her blood relation. She wondered who brought him up. Whether he was as lucky as she was. Remus was appointed her godfather. Maybe he was living with his. But didn't Lupin mention her father being his godfather? As Harry was appointed into Gryffindor she stood to welcome him and get a closer look at her little brother. He sat by a few boys with the same red hair, but there would be plenty of time to get to know him. Seven years in fact. Smiling widely she waited patiently for dinner. Lupin had packed her a few egg and cress sandwiches, an overwhelming amount of chocolate and a platter of fruit. After one sandwich she'd put the rest aside and was close to starving. When the banquet appeared she gasped for the third time that evening. The dishes in front of her were now piled with food. Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. Gienah was disappointed at the vegetarian options. She loaded her plate with potatoes and vegetables and hoping dessert would be a better fare she dug in.

"I'm most looking forward to transfiguration I think" Hermione said between mouthfuls. A pompous looking boy looked at Hermione approvingly before introducing himself. On the other side of the boy sat Harry. She felt something stir when she saw his eyes. The exact shade as hers. Startlingly green. His hair was jet black but unkept. Hers were wavy and tamed. His facial features were different however. His face more rounded than hers. His lips were thinner, no dimples graced his face and his form was a little smaller than hers. She had long limbs and considered tall for her age. She wondered if anyone could see the resemblance. Suddenly his eyes made contact with hers and her cheeks flushed as she looked away. For dessert she had a slice of caramel tart with a large helping of fruit.

Dumbledore finished the feast with the school song. Gienah decided she liked the dotty headmaster. They all smiled and cheered as the song came to a close.

The Gryffindor first years followed Percy, the pompous boy was Prefect, through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Gienah had to look twice when she realized the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet. Then the prefect had a run in with the school poltergeist, Peeves. Gienah chuckled remembering the stories Lupin had told of his mischief making days from his schooldays. She had a lot to live up to.

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. She looked quite impressive.

"Password?" She said, looking her nose down at them. "Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains.

Gienah wasn't too tired having had slept on the train. Still peckish she looked glumly at the squashed sandwiches and wondered if she could get into the kitchens. Lupin had said they'd sneak into the kitchens all the time. He'd not mentioned where they were. Only that you had to tickle a pear to gain entry. Gienah snuck downstairs as the girls fell into bed and saw a pair of twins with blazing red hair lounging on the sofas.

"Well what do we have here?" said one of the twins, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"A little firsties out of bed on her first day?" the other looked at her with close scrutiny. "A woman after my own heart!"

"What's your name lassie?" the other asked smiling widely.

"Gienah." Gienah jutted her chin out proudly, refusing to be patronized by a pair of jesters.

"Lovely to meet you Gienah. I'm Fred." Fred winked at her cheekily.

"And I'm George." George shook her hand energetically.

"Right." Gienah smiled politely. Following a long pause she turned and headed for the portrait hole but was stopped by Fred.

"Ah ah ah. We feel it our duty-"

"-As senior students here at Hogwarts-"

"-To keep an eye on trouble makers."

"Going out after curfew is something we really cannot allow-"

"I don't see how that's any of your business" said Gienah sourly. "You're not a prefect."

"Heavens!" Fred pretended to faint, grasping his shirt near his heart and fell back into an armchair. "The very idea George!"

"If you'll let me finish young marauder" George grinned. "Without the company of two very expert and experienced law abiders."

"You want to come along?"

Fred and George nodded. Her stomach growled and she conceded. All three walked down into the kitchens which the twins were very familiar with. Gienah stared at first at the small creatures. She'd only read about them… Realizing that she was being rude Gienah explained to the house elves her dietary needs and her complaints were noted with the head chef who apologized profusely and provided her with a medley of dishes and desserts. Gienah left her mouth stuffed with a cheese and spinach parcel.

The twins were a laugh. Gienah couldn't have been happier to have them escort her to the kitchens. She was sure she'd made two friends for life. The homesickness eased somewhat as they spent the rest of the evening in the common room playing exploding snap.

"You're a Black?" Fred asked, quirking his eyebrow.

"Yes…" Gienah said.

"Not the son of Sirius Black?"

"Aha."

"Wicked!" The twins looked at eachother.

"What?" she asked blankly.

"The daughter of a delinquent!" George said with awe. "That sounds way cooler than myfatherworksattheministry."

"My fathers a delinquent?"

"You don't mean to say you don't know?" said Fred incredulously.

"My father, Remus, doesn't like to talk about him. He made it sound like he ..abandoned me." Gienah said quietly.

"I'm sorry Gienah." said George kindly.

"Want the last drooble?" offered Fred, looking seriously at Gienah.

George rolled his eyes and Gienah giggled.

"I don't suppose you know why my father…"

"A supporter of you-know-who I think. Murdered a bunch of muggles and some wizard." Fred said tactlessly.

Gienah froze.

"Fred!" George reprimanded him, shaking his head. "Gienah. We don't care who your real father is. I'm sorry you had to hear about this from a pair of twits."

"I… I think I'm going to go to bed." She said so quietly it was almost to herself. She ran up the stairs, shut the door quietly and lay in her bed staring at the canopy with one thing on her mind. Her father was a murderer.

The next morning she was woken up by Hermione Granger already dressed immaculately in her uniform, her hair braided back into a french plait.

"You missed breakfast!" Hermione looked sternly at Gienah who blinked up at her bleary eyed. "I waited in the hall but Lavender said you were still in bed when she left. Hurry! We're going to be late for our first lesson!"

Gienah groaned and pulled herself out of bed. Skipping her shower, she just about managed to brush her teeth and throw her clothes on before being pulled down the stairs by a tutting Hermione. They managed to get to the greenhouses five minutes early where Gienah muttered she could have grabbed a slice of toast. Not that she was hungry but breakfast was her favourite meal of the day. Harry was in her class and when she saw him he offered her a small smile before the lesson started. He seemed really nice. But she noticed a few of her classmates staring at the boy with a scar on his forehead. She watched him as he attempted to flatten his hair over the lighting bolt scar but failed to his annoyance. Ron Weasley sat next to him, yawning and prodding his wand on the fungi in front of him, clearly bored as the professor droned on about the properties of filliwood fungi. Hermione was eager and attentive, raising her hand for every question. Gienah looked at her and smiled, finding the witch endearing, though she noted that others looked mildly annoyed.

The next lesson was Charms which she found far more enjoyable. They listened for most of the class to a general introduction lecture into the class. Professor Flitwick was a genial man, though she suspected he may be half dwarf. They began with a simple lumos spell which most got the hang of quite quickly.

For lunch she noted a few more vegetarian dishes on the table though she selected a simple cheese and tomato sandwich and an apple for later. Harry had sat next to her and they'd introduced themselves.

"Nice to meet you Gienah." Harry smiled at her shaking her hand. "How did you find Herbology?"

"Oh I'm not sure, a bit too much like biology for my liking but it's much more practical here than school so I guess a bit more enjoyable."

"You went to a muggle school?"

"Yeah, I'm a half-blood but my dad wanted me to appreciate my mixed heritage. Mum was a muggle born see." She said nervously.

"I'm a half-blood too!" Harry said with a smile. "My mother was muggleborn as well, but I grew up with my aunt and uncle. They're muggles and don't like magic much so I only found out I was a wizard when Hagrid blast- ur- found me in the summer."

"Oh how come you grew up with your aunt and uncle?" She said though she knew she thought it seemed suspicious if she hadn't asked.

"You don't know you mean?" Harry asked with surprise. "I thought everyone knew" he said with an edge of annoyance.

"You don't have to tell me.." she said quickly.

"They were murdered when I was a baby." Harry said quietly.

"I'm sorry Harry." Gienah hugged him tightly to his surprise, holding her little brother for the first time she welled up. Her first real family. Harry was surprised but responded, finding her embrace warm and caring. He'd never been hugged like that and he too felt a connection with the shy girl whose eyes looked exactly like his own.

"Your eyes are green." He blurted out.

"So are yours!" Gienah laughed.

"I mean, they look exactly like mine." Harry said with a blush.

"I hadn't noticed." Gienah said with a nervous smile.

"Want to hang out with me and Ron for lunch?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Yeah sure, if Hermione can join us."

Harry nodded as they left lunch and headed to the courtyard to find Ron and Hermione. However Hermione was nowhere to be found so she spent her time with the two boys. Ron was quite funny, though a little insensitive at times, she didn't mind too much. He seemed unaccustomed to being friendly with girls. They played a wizarding game called Hags and Trolls with a bunch of Gryffindors. One team had to capture the other. If you were tagged you were frozen until a member of your team tagged you back. It was great fun.

They came into Transfiguration sweating. Professor McGonagall greeted them with a lecture on the subject. It was clear there was to be no messing about in her classes. It had become second nature that the two girls sat next to eachother. Gienah ignored remarks about how much of a know-it-all she was. At times she'd even tell them off. Hermione had no intentions in showing off. She genuinely enjoyed learning. She could be witty in her own way. And she was soon about to found out what a loyal friend she was too.

Gienah found out that Hermione was never around during breaks as she spent most of her time in the library. The next few weeks she began splitting her time with Hermione in the library and Harry and Ron outside. She spent a fair share of time with the Weasley twins too. They often needed a third person for their pranks to offer a diversion or an innocent face for an unsuspecting bystander. She was more than happy to oblige.

At the end of her second day she decided to sit down and write her letter to her father. She'd been putting it off but there was nothing for it.

 _Dear Dad,_

 _I found out from the Weasley twins yesterday of my blood father's crimes ten years ago. That he is imprisoned in Azkaban. I cannot believe you would hide this from me. I was always led to believe that I was abandoned. Now I know he had no choice. I demand to see him._

 _Hogwarts is magical._

 _Gienah_

One evening she was having a difficult time sleeping and so she decided to go for a walk on the grounds. She missed her long walks by the cottage in Wales so she transformed into a cat and walked out into the grounds. It was a cool night and she enjoyed the breeze in her hair. She looked at the forbidden forest debating whether to go for a stroll into the woods or not. She wondered why it was forbidden. She knew the twins have been a few times and they had made it back alive. Her heart thumping she walked in, looking back nervously. If there was any trouble she'd transform into a crow and fly away she reassured herself.

The forest was much more exciting than the woods at home. The plants more exotic, the creatures magical. It was a forest for stories. She decided this was by far her favourite thing about Hogwarts. She saw badgers and hedgehogs and in a small clearing a unicorn and her foul. Gienah stood in awe at the sight. Tempted to go forward and stroke them she dared not wake the beautiful creatures.

"Who's that?" A familiar gruff voice came from behind her. She gasped and turned, ready to run but the looming figure was right in front of her.

"Hagrid?" She asked tentatively.

"Aye, what yer doing out 'ere then?" Hagrid knelt down and looked at her sternly, though their was a kindness in his eyes. The man was enormous. Even kneeling he was double her height.

"I… I couldn't sleep." Gienah replied honestly, looking down at her feet.

"What's yer name?" Hagrid asked kindly.

"Gienah Black, sir."

Hagrid laughed a booming laugh. One that echoed through the forest.

"No need to call me sir. I'm jus' the groundskeeper." Hagrid smiled. "Why couldn't yer sleep."

"Nightmares" she said quietly, her father haunted her dreams once again.

"Why don't yer come over to my hut Gienah." Hagrid offered her with a smile. "We can 'ave a cup of hot cocoa and I'll send ya on yer way."

"You won't give me detention?"

"Not this time." Hagrid winked at her and led her back to the grounds. A massive boarhound walked a few metres ahead of them. "That's Fang. He's not 'alf as scary as he looks."

Gienah ran forward to catch up with him and patted his head, stroking him behind the ear. Fang purred and licked her hand.

"You 'ave a way with animals." Hagrid said, watching from behind her. "He don't take to most."

"I love animals more than people" Gienah confessed.

"Aye, me too at times." Hagrid agreed with a chuckle. "You'll like Care of Magical Creatures then. You'll start that in third year."

"That sounds wonderful." Gienah said, smiling.

Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest.

"This is it." Hagrid took off his fur coat and placed a copper kettle on the open fire.

There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"It's really cosy," Gienah smiled around at the small house. It was charming in its own way. A few basic comforts. She supposed he spent most his time outdoors.

"Gineah Black huh" Hagrid sat down, placing a plate of biscuits in front of her. "Not the daughter of the infamous Sirius Black?"

"Oh, you know as well?" She said with a frown.

"He and Potter were the worst troublemakers Hogwarts ever saw" Hagrid chuckled staring into the distance. "Nice lads though."

"You knew my father?"

"Nice lad he was." Hagrid smiled. "Never did believe he ended up in Azkaban."

"What was he like?"

"Cheeky, swotty, a right ladies man." Hagrid busied himself with the tea. "Handsome lad like that, couldn't blame 'im. He and Potter acted like they ran the place! Yer look a lot like him mind. Everything but yer eyes… " Hagrid dropped the mug. It fell to pieces on the ground.

"I've said that to someone else." Hagrid said as he looked closely at Gienah. "Who would your mother be then?"

Gienah gulped.

"You can't tell anyone. Especially not Harry."

"Not Lily Potter!" Hagrid brought another mug, filled it with milk, stirred in the cocoa and passed it to her. "Did James ever find out?"

"No." Gienah sipped her cocoa.

"They were thick as thieves. The wife and the best friend… Never would have... "

"It was an accident."

"And Harry 'as no idea?" Hagrid said a little angrily. "The boy thinks he's got no family!"

"I'm going to tell him but but dad said to bring him over for Christmas, so we can tell him properly." Gienah explained quickly.

"Who's dad then? Not talking about Black then. Unless he's broken out of that hell hole?" Hagrid shivered.

"Remus Lupin"

"Ah another troublemaker. Prefect mind. Decent bloke." Hagrid nodded. "Well, aren't I glad Harry's got family. He'll be over the moon. You visited yer old man in Azkaban?"

"No, I didn't know until I got here."

"Not a place for kids I suppose. But yer should see 'im. See what he's got to say. You never know till you lose someone. I'd do anything to speak to me old dad." Hagrid said with a yawn.

"Right, I'll walk you back to the castle." Hagrid patted her head. Gienah's head sank with the weight. "You should come and visit. Help me out with some animal keeping if you like."

"I'd love to!" Gienah jumped to her feet and hugged Hagrid, before retreating shyly.

"Yer say that now!" Hagrid chuckled.

Hagrid walked her to the stone steps where she said bye before flying up to the tower, finding an open window and walking back to her bed. She was shattered. Gienah was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.


	4. Halloween

Chapter Four: **Halloween**

Thursday morning during breakfast the Gryffindor table was buzzing with excitement. Gienah climbed onto the bench next to Hermione and rubbed her eyes looking for the coffee. Pouring a mug of coffee she took a large gulp and helped herself to a large helping of porridge while listening to Hermione spouting some memorized nonsense about flying.

"What's this about flying?" She asked Hermione .

"You didn't see the notice board?" Hermione asked her with wide eyes. "We have our first flying lesson this afternoon with Madam Hooch!"

"Ooh you don't say!" Gienah suddenly felt much more awake. "I've never flown one." She'd never been able to afford one and Tonks wasn't allowed anywhere near a broomstick due to her difficulties keeping balance on ground let alone mid air. She was sure she'd have an affinity for flying, having spent many evenings flying over the Welsh mountain range.

"According to Quidditch Through the Ages every action on a broomstick determines the flight. A firm hold of the broom, a streamlined position, feet tucked behind and shoulders pushing forward are all a good stance to-" Hermione continued to advised her, but Gienah noticed that her fingers were awfully fidgety. Hermione was nervous about a lesson! Gienah almost smiled. Finally, something Hermione wasn't going to ace in her first ago.

The owl post arrived and swooping past her was a tawny grey owl dropping a letter above her porridge. With an expert eye she caught it before it fell into the grey sludge.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _I believe he did abandon you when he decided to betray his loved ones. You do not know of his true crimes. He murdered a friend, betrayed his best friend, your mother and left your brother an orphan. He acted without your best interest at heart. I will grant your request but you must not raise your hopes. He may be your father by blood but you have family. I love you more than my life. You are all I have in this world and I couldn't be more proud. We will arrange the visit during the holiday._

 _With love,_

 _Your father_

At half past three she and Hermione hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping grounds towards the smooth flat lawn opposite the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.

Madam Hooch was a woman who took much after Professor McGonagall. Short grey hair and yellow eyes like a hawk. It didn't take much for her to have everyone's attention.

"Everyone stand by a broomstick." She shouted down the rows of broomsticks. "Come on, hurry up".

Once everyone had settled into their positions she continued barking out orders.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!"'

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two -"

Gienah was delighted when her broom obeyed, rising confidently and swiftly. Neville on the other hand had risen straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle. Having reached about thirty feet they all watched as his little white face looked at the ground, gasped and slid off the broom.

WHAM - a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.

Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.

"Broken wrist," Gienah heard her mutter. "Come on, boy - it's all right, up you get.".

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."

No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?" Malfoy sniggered.

The other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."

"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

"Give it here Malfoy." Growled Gienah, rearing to go.

"Look who it is. My dear cousin."

"What are you talking about?" Gienah demanded.

"My mum and your dad are cousins. She was a Black before she married my father."

"A touching and unfortunate story" sneered Gienah. "Now give back what isn't yours. Didn't mother dearest teach you manners?"

"I'm surprised you'd know. What's it like having a father in Azkaban?"

Gienah pounced but he swung onto his broom and hovered above her.

"None of our family knew you existed. I reckon he was ashamed of you." Malfoy taunted her, throwing the remembrall and catching it before it fell.

Gienah mounted her broom and hovered to his height.

"No!" shouted Hermione. "Madam Hooch told us not to move - you'll get us all into trouble."

"Give it back" she threatened him. "Or I'll knock you off your broom."

"Fine" Malfoy smirked. "Fetch!"

The remembrall went flying across the grounds. Gienah soured, her eye fixed on the glass ball before swerving to capture the ball in her hands. Smiling she punched the air as the students below whooped and cheered.

"Ms. Black!" A silence ensued as the voice of her head of year called from below. Her stern gaze gave nothing away. Gienah leaned forward, gradually coming down from her high. flying was exhilarating.

"Never - in all my time at Hogwarts -"

Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "- how dare you - might have broken your neck -"

"It wasn't her fault, Professor -"

"Be quiet, Miss Patil

"But Malfoy -"

Gienah closed her mouth at the unwavering look McGonagall sent her way. Hermione folded her arms and looked away. Ron was smiling mouthing brilliant with a thumbs up. Gienah felt a little sick. She followed the professor up to the first floor. She wondered if she would be seeing the headmaster, if she'd be expelled.

Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.

"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"

Out emerged a burly fifth-year boy with sandy hair.

"Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Gienah.

"In here."

Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.

"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two students.

"Black, this is Oliver Wood. Wood - I've found you a Seeker."

Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.

"Are you serious, Professor?"

"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The girl's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Gienah?"

"Yes ma'am" Gienah nodded.

"She caught that thing in her hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch herself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."

Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.

"Ever seen a game of Quidditch?" he asked excitedly.

"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.

"We'll have to get her a decent broom, Professor - a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."

"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks..."

Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Gienah.

"I want to hear you're training hard, Black."

During dinner Gienah told Harry what had happened. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.

"Seeker?" Ron said. "But first years never - you must be the youngest house player-"

"-in about a century", said Gienah, shoveling pie into her mouth. "And the youngest girl. Ever".

Ron and Harry just gaped at her.

Hermione pulled her head away from her book and sniffed. "I suppose you think this is a reward for your rule breaking"

All three rolled their eyes.

"I start training next week," whispered Gienah. "But you can't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."

Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Gienah, and hurried over.

"Well done young Gienah," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too - Beaters."

"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant.."

"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."

"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."

Malfoy walked over to them just as the Weasley's disappeared.

"Your father could never keep his nose clean either, Black" Malfoy smirked. "Off to the orphanage? Or do you have a mother?"

"Shut up" Gienah hissed.

"Is she a mudblood then? Is that why no one knew about you?"

"She's dead!" Gienah yelled. A few people turned and stared.

"Pity." Malfoy said coldly. "Did he murder her?"

Gienah Black had blistering tears pouring down her cheek.

"You're scum" Hermione said, shutting her book and drawing her wand. Ron watched her with awe.

Malfoy came close up to Gienah.

"Now you mention it… your eyes look remarkably like Potter's." Malfoy murmured in her ear. "I hear Black and Potter were friends before he betrayed them to the dark lord. Do you think they shared wives? If they did, your father did murder her."

Gienah slapped him.

"Does Potter know?" He sneered holding his red cheek.

"Know what?"

"Don't tell me you really are that blind?" Malfoy laughed. "Have you two looked in the mirror. Dear Gienah Black is your half-sister! Your mother was a harlot and I bet you're father was as blind as-" Malfoy froze. Quite literally.

Hermione put her wand back in her pocket hurriedly as Harry chased after Gienah. Gienah ran outside, across the grounds, beyond Hagrid's hut and into the forest. Finding the clearing the unicorns slept that night she sobbed, holding her knees to her face, hating Malfoy with all her heart.

"Is it true?"

Gienah jumped. She looked up and saw Harry sitting in front of her crossed legged.

"You're my sister?"

He looked into those eyes that looked so much like his own.

"I'm sorry you had to hear about it from Malfoy." Gienah said sadly.

Next thing she knew she was pulled into a fierce hug.

"You're not angry at me?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Harry laughed. "All my life the closest thing to family I've had were my uncle and aunt and their excuse of a son. You. You're family."

"You have a big sister." She smiled, the tears fading.

"By a few months" He snorted.

"So your father…"

"Isn't the dad I told you about. I live with my godfather, Remus Lupin. He was my father's best friend. Sirius Black is in Azkaban. I don't remember him."

"What's Azkaban?"

"The wizarding prison." Gienah explained. "According to Hagrid, it's dreadful. But I'm going to visit him in Christmas. Find out is he's sorry. Whether he misses me. Dad said not to get my hopes up but I'm not leaving him there to rot!" Gienah ended fiercely.

"He should be proud to have a daughter like you." Harry smiled.

"You know apart from your eyes and the colour of your hair you look nothing alike." Hermione said as she scrutinized them from left to right in the common room that evening.

"They aren't identical twins" George and Fred said at once.

"You reckon he's as good as his sister on a broom?" George asked Fred.

"You should try out for the reserve team Potter" Fred said with a nod.

"That's nepotism" Ron sulked. "What about me? I'm your brother."

"And don't we try and forget it." sighed Fred.

"Gienah, I'm meeting Malfoy in the trophy room tonight. Wanna come?"

"Excuse me?" Gienah raised her eyebrow.

"After your little reunion Malfoy started mouthing my family off" Ron said curling his fists. "He challenged me to a duel."

"I'd be all up for that but don't really fancy getting in trouble a second time today" Gienah resigned.

"What's this?" Fred grinned. "Young Gienah abiding the rules?"

"Hey, hey." Gienah put out a hand. "I'm a rule breaker that knows when to toe the line."

"Ooh" George leaned back. "That's us told."

"Oy!" Ron barked. "Go get your own mates."

"Now, now Ronnikins. Young Gienah and we have been friends since our first night of rule breaking together."

"I remember it well" swooned George.

"Boys… behave." Gienah warned lightly. The twins waved their hands in surrender and sulked off to their dormitory.

Harry and Ron stood up and hesitated.

"Go ahead. Hex him good. I'm going to finish some homework"

"Hermione's rubbed off on you" Harry teased.

"I don't know how you stand her" Ron muttered, frowning.

Gienah looked behind her sharply, but Hermione appeared not to have heard a thing.

"Watch it" Gienah snapped. "She's a loyal friend"

"The girl's a nightmare!" Ron retorted. "She's always telling me off, or correcting me, or boring the pants off anyone who's too polite to tell her to shut her-"

"Listen up Ronald Weasley" Gienah hissed. "I won't have you badmouth my friends in front of me."

Ron's face went red in a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"That was a bit harsh mate" muttered Harry.

"Let's go" grumbled Ron. Harry looked at Gienah apologetically before following him out of the portrait hole.

Gienah went upstairs to get her books and returned to the common room and looked around… where was Hermione? Gienah calmed herself before she began. That Ron could be a complete arsehole. Thank god Hermione hadn't heard. Despite her front she was a sensitive soul. Malfoy had said something snarky about her teeth and she'd sobbed in her room that night until Gienah found her and said she had nothing to be ashamed about and that who was Malfoy to talk disparagingly about looks when he walked around with a permanent smirk on his face.

She sighed and returned to her potions work. Snape was such a demanding teacher that she wasn't even doing homework, having completed it the first night it was assigned. Taking a leaf out of Hermione's book she was doing some extended reading. By the end of the year he was going to sit up and take notice. If she had to spend most of her evenings in the library then so be it.

It was nearing one when Harry, Neville, Hermione and Ron came running into the common room, clutching their chest and breathing heavily. All four collapsed, trembling into armchairs as Gienah watched amusingly.

Gienah cleared her throat as a few moments passed.

"Trap," wheezed out Neville.

"The stinkin' coward" said Gienah.

"That wasn't the worst thing…" said Harry, his eyes blank with fear.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally to Harry and Ron. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

Hermione had got both breath back again. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on.

"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."

"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."

She stood up, glaring at them.

"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

Ron stared after her, his mouth open.

"No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you."

"Ooh" Gienah giggled. "What's got her knickers in a twist?"

"We ended up running from Filch and onto the third floor"

"You didn't" gasped Gienah. "Damn, I should have come with you."

"Ha!" Ron laughed a little hysterically.

"Three headed dog Gienah." Harry looked at her seriously.

"Wicked!" Gienah said.

"It was massive!"

"Teeth" shivered Neville.

Gienah rolled her eyes.

"Wonder what it's guarding." She said thoughtfully.

"I think I have an idea." Harry said bleakly.

"An adventure!" Gienah jumped with joy. "What?"

Ron and Harry looked at eachother before regaling Harry's first day in Diagon Alley.

"You reckon whatever it was is being kept safe here?"

"Hagrid said there was nowhere more safe than Hogwarts." Harry said.

"Then it's none of our concern." Gienah shrugged. "It's safe behind that trapdoor".

"I suppose." Harry said.

"Anyone told you you worry too much dear brother?"

Harry smiled at her, thinking he could get used to this. The boys headed to bed as Gienah finished her chapter. Yawning she quickly wrote a letter to her dad.

 _Dear Dad,_

 _I've been put on the quidditch team! It's a crazy story. I thought I was in trouble but Professor McGonagall was really impressed with my flying and introduced me to the captain, Wood. I think they might get me a broom. I can't wait - though I'm dead nervous._

 _Lessons are going well, potions is the most difficult but I've started doing additional readings to keep on top of it all. The professor is a greasy old bat. Awfully prejudiced against Gryffindors. I think it's my favourite lesson so far though. Really challenging._

 _Urm, I don't want you to be mad but Harry found out I was his sister. That annoying boy I was telling you about told him. But Harry's chuffed. I invited him over for Christmas and he said he'd love to meet you. He's really the most polite boy. Though a lot of people stare at him because some dark wizard murdered his parents. I didn't know mother was murdered. I'm not angry dad. I suppose she did abandon me. Did she dad? I feel like there's so much I don't know anymore._

 _Love,_

 _Gienah._

As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Gienah was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of her, knocking her apple to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.

Gienah ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said: DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session. Professor McGonagall.

Gienah had difficulty hiding her glee as she handed the note to Ron to read.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one."

They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Gienah and felt it.

"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Gienah with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face.

"10 points to Slytherin" Gienah rolled her eyes and snatched it back.

"You'll be in for it this time, Black, first years aren't allowed them."

Ron couldn't resist it. "It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Gienah. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."

"Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy." Gienah tilted her head and looked down at him. She was taller by an inch. "When will you learn it's not about how much gold you have, it's about talent, ability, skill. I understand these words are unfamiliar to your inbred ways but… we live in a modern age where women can vote and pureblood mania is a thing of the past. If you want to survive, I advise you run with the times. Goodbye."

Ron and Harry oggled at Giena as she skipped along with her broom at hand. Hermione stood behind Malfoy having heard the whole thing. She quirked her eyebrow, walked past Malfoy who looked confunded and said "For what it's worth I suggest you take that advice."

"I love that woman." Ron murmured. Harry hit him on the back of the head.

That evening was her first quidditch practice one to one with Wood. They went through the basics. Her task as seeker was to capture the golden snitch, avoid the bludgers and make sure to capture the snitch at strategic times.

The next day they had practice with the entire team. Fred and George Weasley lifted her up, perching her on each shoulder and brought her onto the pitch yelling "VICTORY IS OURS. LIONS WILL DEVOUR. GRYFFINDOR GRYFFINDOR ROAR ROAR ROAR"

Wood told them to cut it out and threatened them with a bludger to shut them up.

"Team." Wood paced up and down in front of them. "We have a new seeker. A fresh start. Since Weasley's left us we've suffered defeat after defeat but no more! We'll be training harder than ever. Victory will be ours." Wood had a determined glint in his eye. Gienah couldn't believe her luck. The adrenaline pumping through her blood felt incredible. She was rearing to go but not before being lectured by Wood for an hour. He went on about stamina and endurance and what else Gienah couldn't tell you.

Finally they began practice. An hour later Gienah was muddy, sweaty and exhausted. She felt completely unfit, Wood was not impressed with their stamina. They would begin running the next morning at seven. The Weasley twins looked mortified.

The next few weeks went speeding by. What with training, quidditch practices, homework and extended reading Gienah barely had a moment to herself. Before she knew it it was Halloween. In the morning they awoke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. In charms they practiced the levitating charm. Disastrously Ron was paired with Hermione. Harry and Gienah looked at each other warily. Let's just say Ron and Hermione's friendship was strained. Gienah and Hermione had been practicing spellwork before their lessons so she had no problems getting to grasp the spel. She moved on to help Harry and Neville.

"You're saying it wrong." Hermione snapped. "It's win-gar-dium levi-o-sa, make the gar sound nice and long."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. "It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly. "

Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face - and was startled to see that she was in tears.

"I think she heard you."

"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."

"Oh I'm sorry, what am I then. Her invisible friend?" Gienah said hotly, shoving Ron and running after her.

Gienah lost her in the crowd. Ron had to be the biggest prat she'd ever had the displeasure of meeting. After Malfoy of course. Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, she overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom. Gienah glared at Ron before taking a napkin and filling it with a few pastries and a bunch of grapes and heading to the bathroom.

Knocking on the one closed cubicle she called Ron every bad word she'd ever learn off the twins before Hermione came out with a watery smile.

"That's quite a vocabulary."

"Something about that peabrain just really .. _inspires_ me." Gienah said quite seriously.

"He's right though." Hermione said looking down at her feet. "No one likes me."

"Seriously?!" Gienah stamped her foot. "Can I be acknowledged as a real person please? What am I? The pity mate? The invisible friend?"

"You really want to be my friend?"

"Please Hermione." Gienah flicked her hair. "We are friends."

"I... Thank you." Hermione smiled at her. "For putting up with me. I know I can be a bit bossy and serious."

"While it's true it'd be nice if you loosened up now and then, I like you for who you are. You're intelligent and fiercely loyal. You hexed Malfoy when he was being a complete butthead. You drag me out of bed every morning even when you don't have to wake up for another half hour! You bring me cream cheese bagels and coffee saturday mornings during quidditch practice AND you proof-read my essays. I have no idea what Ron's talking about coz I reckon… I reckon I've struck gold with you Hermione Jean Granger."

"Did anyone tell you you give the best pep talks?" Hermione grinned at her, wiping away her tears with her sleeve.

And then they heard it - a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet.

It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.

The troll entered the bathroom and looked lazily about the room. Then the door behind it slammed and Gienah thought she heard the door lock with a sinking heart.

Hermione released a high, petrified scream.

Gienah shoved her to the side where Hermione took shelter beneath the sinks. Whipping out her wand she yelled "Hey ugly!" The troll turned and was greeted by a hex straight to his chest. Her hex didn't make a slight bit of difference bouncing off his thick troll skin. Gulping she retreated slowly, placing her wand back in her pocket. looking nervously at Hermione she decided to risk it. She pounced. Mid jump she transformed into a great big wolf with gnashing teeth she bit deep into the troll's arm. He began flailing around, taking Gienah with her. At that moment Harry and Ron entered with their wands before them.

"Is that a… werewolf?" Ron gulped.

"Hermione!" screamed Harry. The troll's club hit the sink mere inches away from her as the wolf continued to tear away at his flesh. The troll howled and thrashed his club dangerously close to Hermione.

"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.

"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it.

"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.

The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. He managed to throw the wolf into a far corner where Gienah whimpered. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape. Gienah transformed back into a human.

Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped - it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils. Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.

Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand - not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over - and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.

Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.

It was Hermione who spoke first.

"Is it - dead?"

"I don't think so," said Harry," I think it's just been knocked out."

"Gienah!" Hermione ran to Gienah who had a trickle of blood seeping from her head.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall ran to Gienah and cast a few healing spells to stop her bleeding before wrapping her head with a bandage. Then she turned to Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice.

"Please, Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.

"I went looking for the troll because I - I thought I could deal with it on my own - you know, because I've read all about them."

All of them stared at her.

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Gienah distracted the troll. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

"Well - in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the four of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione hung her head. Gienah was impressed, and rather proud. She looked at Ron with a raised eyebrow. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione left.

Professor McGonagall turned to Gienah, Harry and Ron.

"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.

"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."

"She wouldn't have been there in the first place if you hadn't made her cry!" Gienah said itching to throttle him. "Honestly Ron."

They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Pig snout," they said and entered.

"Right" Ron said glaring at Gienah. "Mind explaining how there was an injured wolf one second, then you with a bleeding head the next?"

"None of your business." Gienah said sourly.

The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.

But from that moment on, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley became friends. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.


	5. Stolen Time

Chapter Five: **Stolen Time**

As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaver skin boots.

One such morning Gienah Black stood on her bench and tinkled her glass of pumpkin juice. The whole Gryffindor table turned to watch her.

"If I could have your attention please! Ahem." She cleared her throat. "The Gryffindor quidditch team are fundraising for new broomsticks. Which is why before the match the coming Saturday night we will be selling cakes and treats as well as our very own merchandise! T-shirts, scarves, badges and a face paint stall to show your team support, loud and proud!"

The Gryffindor table cheered as she took her seat. Fred winked at her. Hermione casually looked past Hermione's head to look toward the staff table. Each of the staff had turned a different colour. Snape had turned a brilliant magenta pink. The students were roaring with laughter. Dumbledore chuckled as he looked down at his sunshine yellow hands. Snape waved his wand and returned his skin colour to normal, though his eyebrows remained pink and his colleagues failed to mention this to the professor.

Gienah chuckled. She enjoyed providing her small contribution towards their pranks. They were always light and amusing. She never joined them for the heavy stuff. Last night for instance they'd enchanted the suits of armour to sing the Gryffindor anthem and curse the Slytherin's and trip up the individual players. The response was lethal. Wherever Gienah went she was sent pure looks of loathing. Hexes aimed when her back was turned. Students trying to trip her up. She went to hunt the twins down to undo the damage.

Training was more brutal than ever. Wood kept a sharp eye on her diet, refusing her to eat sugary sweets for midnight snacks with the twins to survive her long nights reading and writing with Hermione. Gienah couldn't deny however that the results were showing when they lasted five hour long practices.

Saturday morning Gienah walked into the hall feeling nauseous due the wafting smell of sausages. Watching Ron shovel bacon into his mouth made her want to retch.

"You look green" Ron said with a grimace, watching her.

"Watching you eat we're all going to be sick" Hermione snapped at Ron soothing Gienah's back. She spooned some fruit into a bowl and spoon fed it to her. Gienah swallowed without chewing.

"Hermione." Ron frowned. "Sometimes your comments hurt."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You are going to be incredible." Harry said, patting Gienah's arm.

By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.

Hermione looked around at the stadium, it looked much bigger than days she came down to watch Gienah practice. People were taking their seats, chatting excitedly with their friends, Ron and Harry listened intently to Kenneth Towler and Patricia Stimpson in the row in front of them talking about the old players from last year.

"I couldn't look at Warrington the entire year after I lost that bet." Towler said grudgingly. "The team was bloody fantastic but that Woodhouse bloke was the worst seeker I've seen play and I've been to to a Chudley Cannon's match."

Ron scowled.

"And now Wood's gone and appointed a first year." Stimpson said shaking her head.

"Oh I don't know, the twins seem pretty confident this year and they know their stuff." Towler said, squinting towards the stadium entrance.

Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle and Harry and Ron too looked towards the pitch as fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off. "And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too -"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.

"With Wood's new training programme the Gryffindor team are looking- well- buff. We've got fresh blood on the team in the form of young Gienah Black. The first girl to ever join the team in first year. Fine form. And Spinett has the quaffle, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last years reserve - the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes - Flint flying like an eagle up there - blocked by an excellent move by Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle - that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and - OUCH - that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger - Nice aim- Quaffle taken by the Slytherins - that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger - sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which - nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes - she's really flying - dodges a speeding Bludger - the goal posts are ahead - come on, now, Angelina - Keeper Bletchley dives - misses - GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.

"Budge up there, move along."

"Hagrid!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.

"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope," said Ron. "Gienah's hasn't had much to do yet."

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Gienah.

Way up above them, Gienah was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch.

When Angelina had scored, Gienah had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off her feelings. Now she was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once she caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches, and once a Bludger decided to come pelting her way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Gienah dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.

"All right there, Gen?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the - wait a moment - was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.

Gienah saw it. In a great rush of excitement she dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch -all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.

Gienah was faster than Higgs - she could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead - - she put on an extra spurt of speed -

WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below - Marcus Flint had blocked Gienah on purpose, and her broom spun off course, Gienah was holding on for dear life.

"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.

Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.

Down in the stands, Harry yelled "Foul!" and Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"

"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.

"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In football you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"

"But this isn't football, Dean," Ron reminded him.

Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.

"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Gienah outta the air."

Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.

"So - after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating-"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul-"

'Jordan, I'm warning you -"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

Gienah dodged another Bludger.

"Slytherin in possession - Flint with the Quaffle - passes Spinnet - passes Bell - hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose - only joking, Professor - Slytherins score -"

The Slytherins were cheering.

Gienah spotted the snitch near the ground on the foot of the stands. Higgs was floating near the Slytherin hoops. Her stomach somersaulted.

"And the Gryffindor seeker taken a risky dive! Pelting to the floor…"

She was speeding toward the ground, diving in a sharp angle, reaching her hand out before hitting the ground head first. She tumbled before lying spread eagle on the floor as she groaned seeing stars.

"I've got the Snitch!" she shouted, waving it above her spinning head.

Lee Jordan was happily shouting the results - Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty.

"Gryffindor Gryffindor ROAR ROAR ROAR" screamed the crowds as Hermione ran to her and steadily helped her on her feet.

"Brilliant sis" Harry grinned.

Ron and Harry each took Gienah's arm and walked her to Hagrid's. It was closest and she didn't fancy a fussing nurse.

"Did you notice how Snape was walking?" Harry asked everyone once they each had a cup of steaming hot cocoa. "Dragging his leg. Limping."

"You reckon he was trying to get passed the three legged dog?" said Ron.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" Hagrid said.

"Fluffy?" Ron said making a face.

"Yeah - he's mine - bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year - I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"

"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.

"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to steal it."

"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort. Now, listen to me, all four of yeh - yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel -"

"Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"

Hagrid looked furious with himself. Gienah patted his arm sympathetically.

One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.

Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron and Gienah strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. He had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and he knew he'd never get one. These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Saying goodbye to a miserable looking Ron, Harry, Gienah and Hermione caught the train back to London.

"Can you believe we've only been in Hogwarts for three months!" said Gienah looking out the window, watching Hogsmeade becoming smaller and smaller. She turned to look at Hermione and Harry.

"I feel like I've lived there for years and years" Gienah sighed contentedly, biting her licorice wand.

The journey was quiet. Gienah stared wistfully out of the window as Harry slept and Hermione, typically, was reading a book.

"You should visit on New Year's Eve" Gienah said to Hermione as she hugged her outside the station. Hermione nodded. "I'll owl you!" She waved as she ran to her parent's car and drove off into the traffic.

"Gienah!" Lupin called her with his arms wide open. Gienah ran to her godfather and held him tight, breathing in his familiar scent of old books and tobacco.

"Harry this is my dad Remus Lupin" Gienah said proudly. Lupin had always found it odd when she proudly presented him to her friends. His inner Marauders would tell him off however and remind him a good home is made of love, not gold.

"And this must be young Harry." Lupin's eyes teared up as he pulled the bespectacled boy into a tight embrace. "You look so much like your father. And your eyes! Just like Gienah's. Harry I'm afraid I have much to make up for. Shall we walk to Diagon Alley? We'll have dinner at the Leaky Cauldron and I've got three tickets to Diagonal Theatre! Macbeth. Fabulous reviews." Lupin rambled, feeling nervous.

Gienah laughed and tugged at his sleeve. "Dad slow down! and that sounds wonderful but…" she leaned into whisper. "Can we afford it?"

"An early christmas present from your grandmother" smiled Lupin tightly.

Lupin's mother was an odd woman. His father had been cold and distant to him after he'd become a werewolf but his mother would continue to endeavour some kind of relationship, and once he'd left straight after graduation she gave him a present here and there and some money. But never did she show any real affection. She was hesitant of the idea of her son being father to a young girl but contributed in her own little way. He had mentioned Harry coming for Christmas and remembering James she'd felt sympathy for the boy and owled Lupin the tickets a few days ago. Lupin had been saving for Harry's visit. He was able to do extra hours at the book shop now Gienah was at Hogwarts and only ate what he could grow in the allotment which was a pleasant change he thought to make permanent. Wolfsbane potion was his only serious expense and now he hoped to give Gienah and Harry a christmas they deserved.

"A table for three please Tom" Lupin asked at the bar.

"Right you are" Tom gave him his famous toothless smile and showed them to a quiet booth in the back.

"Now Harry. How are you doing at your aunt's?"

Harry shuffled and looked down at the table not knowing how to be honest and not sound completely pathetic.

"Harry", Lupin said kindly. "You can be honest. We're family."

Gienah nodded.

Harry breathed and said quietly "Awful. Just about bearable."

And for the first time in his life he let out all his grievances against his surrogate family. How they had kept him in a cupboard the first ten years of his life. How he had to do the chores while Dudley was doted on. The second hand clothes. The odd beatings. The verbal abuse. All of it.

Gienah was close to tears at the end of it.

"Dad! We can't have him stay there. You have to take him away from those monsters!"

"Gienah." Lupin said calmly. "I will speak to Dumbledore."

The rest of dinner was a subdued affair. Gienah's spirits dampened and Harry a little shy around this new man in his life who considered him family.

After a pause following dessert Lupin said "I considered taking you in after your parents died." Harry looked at him. "But I was… a coward. I didn't wish to repeat the procedures in acquiring custody. You were a high-profile case. Gienah is legally under Andromeda's care. If the ministry ever found out… But perhaps we can do the same. The risks are double fold, if not triple given your fame in the wizarding world but so long you don't tell a living soul you could spend your summers in our cottage."

"I would like that very much sir." Harry said, his voice a little choked up. The thought of escaping…

"I will take care of everything Harry." Lupin promised. "Like I should have years ago. I hope you can forgive me. And call me Remus."

"I can't take this anymore" groaned Gienah. "We're going to the theatre. It's Christmas!"

Macbeth was quite a dark play. Gienah was enchanted by the actors. Harry had never been to the theatre before and Lupin was suitably impressed. Wizarding plays were rare and these tickets must have cost an arm and a leg. He felt a little guilt at his relationship with his mother. He'd always resented how weak she'd been. Maybe she did care. She had little of her own money. She must have saved quite a bit for this.

The show finished at eleven. Harry and Gienah's eyes were drooping as they walked to the pub and were swept away by floo to their little cottage in Wales. Harry looked around at the small living room lined with books. There was only one leather sofa filled with cushions. A dusty Moroccan rug and dark furniture. Everything was old and faded. Pictures on the wall of Gienah and some art pieces. Some professional, others done by Gienah. It was the most personal home he'd ever been to. Candles and lamps offered light. There was an open stairway with rickety steps in the living room winding upstairs. Two doors opposite ends of the living room. One led into a dining room, the other the the small entrance hall leading outdoors. Gienah led Harry upstairs, half awake and took him into the library. Lupin had transfigured a mattress into a bed and given the room a spring clean. A few book cases were pushed to the side to make way for a wardrobe and a chest of drawers.

"We don't have a guest room I'm afraid Harry." Lupin said putting his trunk down on the end of his bed.

"If you're granted custody we can always enlarge the attic. It's used as a store room but it has large windows and it's well insulated." Lupin said with a smile.

Harry said nothing. He only silently hugged the kind man. Barely a stranger yet welcoming him into his home. Looking around he could see this was a real family home. Lupin had made a real effort to give Gienah what he thought he was lacking in with a home that she could really mark as her own. Drawings and photographs littered the place. Walls with certificates and moving photographs and theatre tickets and posters. Books lined every room. Lupin bid him goodnight and left Harry to sink into his bed.

The next morning Lupin had gone to work early in the morning, leaving behind a breakfast behind with a stasis charm to keep the food warm. They woke at eleven. Gienah came into Harry's room with the newspaper and they went downstairs and tucked in to the pancakes. Lupin had left an option of toppings. Gienah covered hers in banana and cream. Harry selected the chocolate syrup and strawberries. Gienah squeezed fresh oranges and made two cups of steaming coffee. Grinding her own coffee beans the kitchen was wafting with delicious breakfast smells. The kitchen had a door out into their large garden. The cottage was miles away from civilization. There was a few houses an hours walk away but otherwise they were in the middle of nowhere. The garden had no fence. It just rolled on and on the changing landscape. There was an area with flowers and an allotment full of growing things. A swing and a little fountain. Then just grass as far as the eye can see. The woods faced the front of the house along with the mountains. Harry fell in love with the place.

After breakfast they flew around on Gienah's Nimbus. Harry climbed on behind her and they went along the mountain tops, over the little town a few miles away. They landed in the town behind a tree and had a walk through the main road dotted with shops. It was a muggle town so they had a few looks as Gienah carried the broomstick around. They went into a charity shop to purchase a few last minute gifts. They found Lupin an old watch. They brought the gift together. Harry felt guilty knowing how much gold he had in his vault and brought Lupin another gift. A pair of smart leather shoes from the shoe shop. For Gienah he brought a pair of seekers gloves from Diagon Alley and a broomstick polishing kit.

In the late afternoon they brought ice creams and decided to walk their way home. It took them a good three hours but it was a pleasant walk by the woodlands.

They arrived at six. Lupin was home, busy cooking in the kitchen. As they came in he shouted "Harry I hope you won't get sick of vegetarian food! I'm making stir fry with prawn crackers and spring rolls."

Harry walked into the aromatic kitchen. "That's fine Remus" He smiled.

"I do have fish now and then but I don't dare eat meat." Lupin looked pointedly at Gienah. "I don't mind and Gienah makes a compelling case for animal rights."

"Gienah would you like to make dessert with Harry?" Lupin said.

"Yeah sure." Gienah thought carefully as she looked into the fridge. "Chocolate mousse or fruit salad?"

"Mousse" said Lupin and Harry at once before grinning at eachother.

"Dad has an awful sweet tooth" teased Gienah as she brought out eggs and chocolate.

Dinner was mouth watering. Lupin cooked like a chef. They told Lupin what they'd gotten up to that day and a few stories about Hogwarts. They didn't mention anything about the three headed-dog and the trap door.

"Before you go upstairs love" Lupin hesitated. "Would you like to see your father tomorrow?"

Gienah hugged Lupin, nodding furiously.

It was Christmas Eve. Gienah cooked a traditional dinner with all the trimmings and a Christmas pudding. They permitted food to be taken to the prisoner after it had been checked by the aurors. The downside was they had to eat it in the cell with the dementors swarming around.

They all flood to the ministry of magic where they obtained visiting passes. They were escorted to Azkaban by floo. They were then taken on a small narrow boat to the prison which was surrounding a cliff. It was blistering cold. The waves crashed dangerously against the rock. Shivering they stepped out of the boat and followed a stone path into the prison. The auror asked if they were all visiting. Lupin said only Gienah, understanding she needed her own space for this emotional moment. The auror passed her a pendent that warded away the worst of the dementor effects and took her to the highest floor. She passed prisoner after prisoner. Gaunt with chalky skin. One of them was her father. She shivered. Finally they reached a cell that had both aurors and dementors patrolling the doors. The high security vaults.

"No 13789 miss. Give us a shout when you're done love." The auror looked at her sadly and showed her into a cell locking her in. She felt the very depth of her soul unsettle at that sound.

"Who are you?" A man crumbled in the corner choked out. His voice was rasping. As if unfamiliar to use. His long dark hair matted with filth. His single white shirt long and dirtied. His eyes were haunted. Gienah said nothing and only offered him the basket of food. The man growled as he leapt forward and shoved a whole roll in his mouth.

"Charming", muttered Giennah sitting down on the stone floor.

Black stopped and dropped the roast chicken as he looked closely at her features.

"Gienah?" He barely whispered. "I'm dreaming. An angel comes to claim my soul."

"I'm your daughter" Gienah held out her hand, laughing a little at his dramatics. Black hesitantly reached out and held her small hand in his large ones. Then he pulled her into a hug that threatened to suffocate her. He sobbed, stroking her hair as if she'd fade away any second.

"After all these years" Black sobbed. "I lost hope. My darling darling daughter, so beautiful. Let me have a good look".

He barked with laughter as he cupped her face. "Every inch your father, except the eyes. Exactly Lily's" He hugged her again.

"Eat father" Gienah scolded him lightly. "I'll be here. Right here, I'm not going anywhere."

The meal was consumed in the next five minutes. Gienah knew she should have got more chicken. She could accept the man needed his protein.

"Father." Gienah took a deep breath. "I need to know why you murdered all those people."

"Gienah," Black froze as if haunted by an onslaught of bad memories. "I never. I never ever- ever- betrayed my friends. I'm innocent. I never murdered those muggles, I never murdered Peter Pettigrew, he framed me darling. You have to believe me." Black was begging her.

On his knees, tears fell from his eyes, cleaning the dirt on his face. Gienah passed him a handkerchief.

"Father I want to believe you I do..." Gienah said with a frown, though relieved to hear of his claimed innocence.

"I was imprisoned without trial" Black said desperately. "If they reopen the case they could analyze my wand. See that there is no solid proof. And that there is no evidence that Peter Pettigrew is dead…"

"You don't mean to say that he's… alive?" Gienah gasped with horror.

Sirius Black looked at her with a glint of feverish madness drowning the darkness away and revealing his former handsome face.

"Get the best lawyer money can buy. You can access the family vault in Gringotts. The key is in your old music box, underneath the velvet there is a compartment." Sirius said hungrily.

"Father," promised Gienah. "If you are innocent I will do everything in my power to free you."

Black began to cry again, in happiness this time, kissing his daughter, holding her.

"I love you Gienah." Sirius said again and again. "Forgive me for leaving you that night. Revenge was my poison."

"I will see you once more before I go back to Hogwarts with your attorney." Gienah assured him. "Afterwards I'll make sure dad visits with supplies."

"Dad?" Black croaked.

"Remus Lupin." Gienah said looking back at him through the iron bars. "My godfather."

Gienah bowed her head to her father and ran.

Gienah refused to speak another word to Lupin. The silent treatment continued throughout the festivities. Despite it being the fanciest christmas to date Gienah could not forgive her father's abandonment in the hands of another father. He had brought her an African Eagle-Owl for Christmas. It was the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen. When he flew the entire magnificence of his black and bronze wings were put on display. But as she fawned over her new pet naming him Hermes she only said a polite thank you to Lupin.

Harry received a broomstick from Lupin. Not quite a Nimbus but a fair Cleansweep Seven. It was the best gift until he reached the last soft package. Releasing the paper something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Lupin gave him a knowing smile. It was a cloak. He placed it on his shoulders and turned. Gienah gasped.

"You're invisible!" Gienah said.

Harry looked down and indeed he had disappeared head down.

"That was your father's," Lupin said sadly. "A Potter heirloom. A true cloak of invisibility."

"There's no name" Harry said looking at the note that only said three things. _Use it well._

Days passed. Lupin was at a loss. Putting on a false smile for Harry Lupin attempted to speak to her when she went to bed but she locked the doors. In the day she and Harry went for long walks, seeing him only during mealtimes. In the early hours on the morning of New Year's Eve she found him on the couch, stinking of whiskey and tobacco, his face unshaven and in yesterday's clothes. She knew he used to have a problem with drink before he adopted her and she felt a sudden overwhelming love for the man who'd resorted to his poison for her childish ways. Covering him with a blanket, she cleared the ash tray and the bottle. Wiped his face with a damp cloth and snuggled into the couch with him, enjoying the familiar smell of tobacco and books albeit almost drowned in alcohol. Lupin awoke to find his daughter in his arms. he wrapped her even closer and kissed the back of her head. When she woke she told him that her father was innocent. They had to find him an attorney. Lupin felt sick. If this was true, he was responsible. Gienah told him to stop feeling sorry for himself in an impressive manner that was a true testament to her mother.

That afternoon all three were busy in the kitchen. They had invited the Tonks, Hermione, Neville and his grandmother, and an odd girl called Luna who was the daughter of Xenophilius Lovegood, a friend of Lupin's, for dinner. Lupin had few friends in the wizarding world. He believed it to be his werewolf condition but in reality it was more a sel imposed isolation in fear of his condition. Gienah was therefore very kindly to the odd man and his daughter. They were lovely, only different. The dining room would be too small so Lupin had conjured a marquee in the garden and enlarged a round table. Gienah created a magnificent flower centrepiece with climbing ivy and red roses. Gold plates and fancy glasses, borrowed from Andromeda, decorated the wooden surface. Lanterns. The food was a mixture of turkish and greek mezze's. Dessert was balaklava and a selection of home made indian sweets. They weren't ordinary sweets. They were covered and soaked in syrup or made of pure lard and coconut and died a bright green. Watching her father work craftily around the kitchen she knew he had the makings of a professional chef. But she'd heard his drunk conversations with Lovegood about becoming a professor. She wished one day she could help make it a reality.

"Xeno!" Lovegood had walked around the house and came straight into the marquee holding two bottles of elfwine. Lupin and Lovegood hugged each other in a manly kind of way. Luna followed behind wearing beautiful glittering gold dress robes that swept behind her on the grass. She was barefoot and wearing little anklets that made a tinkling sound as she walked. She kissed Gienah on her cheeks and did the same to Harry, who blushed in turn.

"This is Luna Lovegood" Gienah smiled at her childhood friend. "Harry Potter"

"Happy hogmanay" Luna smiled at the two of them, bowing a little.

Gienah left her with Harry who looked pleadingly at her as she did so. Gienah laughed. Luna took some getting used to but she was good friend. Sometimes she wondered if she had seer blood. She greeted Neville and his grandmother through the front door. Took their coats and led them to the marquee. The old woman was a formidable woman. Eyes like a hawk and a chin raised so high she wondered how she knew where she was going. Neville said hi shyly and gave her a present. Gienah opened the parcel and saw a dream catcher. He knew she had bad dreams from Hermione. Though they were dispelled now somewhat she was touched. She kissed the blushing boy and took him to Harry and Luna. His grandmother immediately sat down and demanded a glass of elfwine from Lovegood.

Then Hermione arrived, wearing a red dress with her hair pulled back with a few pins. Unruly curls framed her face. Harry and Gienah were matching in emerald green. A gift from Andromeda. They arrived last. Ted held her by the waist and spun her around, marvelling at how much she had grown. Then he knelt down near Harry and shook his hand, welcoming him to the family.

"Hello young man" Ted said smiling. "I've heard a lot about you."

"I think everyone has." Harry said uncomfortably.

"Oh no, not the boy who lived nonsense, from Remus." Ted chuckled. "He tells me you like muggle comicbooks. I had a collection at your age lying around in the attic and I thought you might like to have them."

"I would like that very much sir." Harry smiled.

Tonks came in after her father wearing wore pale gold dress robes, her hair in her natural black curls, though she seemed to fidget in the formal clothes, itching her arms and neck.

"Wotcha" Tonks smiled at her cousin. "Impressive catch out on the pitch cuz"

"After the training Wood put us through…" Gienah said her voice high pitched. "Every morning Tonks"

A little girl tugged on Tonks' robes. Tonks rolled her eyes and picked the black haired girl up and straddled her on her hips.

"Hello" Pandora waved at Harry and Gienah, now their height.

"Pan!" Gienah kissed Pandora's rosy cheeks.

"Genna, that boy has same color eyes!" Pandora bent forward so far Tonks almost dropped her. Lyra dame darting in that second and hugged Gienah around her waist.

"Pandora, Lyra, Dora, this is my brother Harry." Gienah smiled proudly.

"So, the famous Potter's a new addition to the family." Tonks and Pandora looked down curiously at Harry. "Welcome"

"Thanks urm, Tonks."

"Don't ask" Gienah said as she walked over to Hermione and Luna. They were debating the existence of punkywunks or some other imaginary creature of Luna's. Gienah had learnt while these creatures were invisible to the eye, their psychological properties were as accurate as hell. She wondered if she could see a manifestation of the psyche. She stopped arguing with her years ago.

"How'd your Christmas been?" Gienah asked Hermione, who was still scowling after her conversation with Luna.

"Uneventful" Hermione waved her hand with a sigh. "The usual festivities. Christmas Eve party with all their colleagues! I wanted to crawl into a hole and die Gen."

"I got Hermes." Gienah whistled and out from her window flew down the eagle-owl.

"Gienah." Whispered Hermione, stroking the raven black head of the own. His eyes were a blazing amber. The owl cooed under her touch.

"It's been the best christmas ever." Gienah smiled. "We had a slight… well, I'll tell you later."

Hermione crossed her arms. Gienah hesitated but when she began she couldn't stop.

"My father is innocent. My real father. We're getting him an attorney. He was imprisoned without trial. If he's set free he can come live with us and be a real father to me and a godfather to Harry!" Gienah couldn't suppress her glee.

"I've talked to Ron. Apparently Mr. Weasley is a bit of a whiz in extension charms. We're going to add another floor beneath the attic with three rooms. One for Harry and one for father and one guest room."

"Woah woah." Lupin said coming up behind her. "Don't get ahead of yourself love. We have to gain custody for Harry and go through the trials with your father. Speaking of which, are you calling both of us dad."

"Well I thought what with you cooking and cleaning, you can be mother." Gienah laughed.

"Sounds perfect." Lupin chuckled, sipping his wine.

"I'm so happy for you." Hermione squealed. "You'll be a proper family."

"But you should have seen him Mione, he was all broken, inside. He looked like he could never be happy again. Those dementors are the most vile creatures. We're going to have to be there for him to help him recover. Get him a job… It's going to be a hell of a lotta work"

"If anyone can help his see the beauty in life, it's you Gen" Hermione said with a hand on her shoulder. "You're a breath of fresh air. Just ask Harry. Ever since he found out he has a sister he said he felt balanced. Like he was fire and you were air. There's something… free about you. Bird like. Fierce and free."

"Fierce and free." Gienah smiled. "I like that."

They seated everyone for dinner as dishes and dishes of food were brought by Harry and Gienah. Tabbouleh, baba ghanoush, hummus and a variety of homemade flatbreads, kebabs and stuffed vine leaves. It smelt divine. Lupin put on one of his old records and the evening ran like clockwork. If only her father were here. It would have been perfect.

The next day Gienah went to visit her father. Harry still felt a little uncomfortable seeing a man he'd only recently found out was his godfather in prison. Lupin came along this time and the two men hugged for minutes on end. Lupin cried. Gienah was shocked. She'd never seen him cry so openly. He knelt before Sirius, begging his forgiveness. They made an oath to find Peter and murder him together. Gienah vehemently agreed. Lupin had brought an attorney. They talked legal paperwork. If everything went as planned they could have a retrial by Easter and free before the summer. With a standard Veritaserum and pensieve procedure his word should follow. The attorney would ask the court for concrete evidence. The death of twelve muggles in the presence of two wizards. One who pleaded innocent, the other said to be dead by show of one finger. It was weak to say the least.

"The lack of a trial is inexcusable. It will cause a precedent which is why they'll see to it the trial doesn't go on. You will be granted grievances. I will ask on your behalf an excess of a hundred thousand per year of imprisonment as well as a return of all seizures of property and gold plus interest." The vampire drawled on. Mr. Vandeviere was ancient and best in his field. He cost a pretty penny too but her father only laughed when she pointed this out.

"Darling, you are the last heir of the Noble House of Black" Black smirked. "Do you have any idea what that means?"

"It means you're filthy rich and heavily inbred. Though Lily Evans's blood probably saved you his dear cousin's fate." Lupin rolled his eyes.

"Yes, dear Bellatrix." Black looked into the distance, his mouth curling into a snarl.

On their last night they had a campfire eating toasted marshmallows and hot cocoa. Lupin brought out his guitar while Gienah sang. It was a tradition for the two of them since she was five to sing out in the open, with the stars above and Lupin's soft baritone.

The next day Gienah and Harry sped along to Scotland on the Hogwarts Express. Hermione was busy adding notes to her homework. Gienah hadn't started hers. She had that night to complete five essays, fill in two scrolls of planetary movements and about three chapters to read for each subject. Her head was buried in a book. Harry was snoring away. Longbottom was staring out the window.

Hermione moaned at Ron for a solid minute, disappointed that he hadn't even attempted to find out who Flamel was. Ron snapped back at her how he was expected to research alone and how he hoped they'd had a good Christmas away from the dreary castle. The twins refused to let Ron into their pranks and most of his holiday was spent sleeping. Gienah gave him a sympathetic smile and handed him a box of chocolates they'd handmade the day before and that cheered him right up.

They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks.

Gienah went on her daily nightly roam one night, transforming into a black cat with yellow eyes. The slender creature stalked down the stairs and froze when she saw Snape in her usual robes walking through the corridor. She ran back up and slipped into a classroom. She was taking no chances despite looking like a stray cat.

It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket - but propped against the wall facing her was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.

It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. Her panic fading now that there was no sound of Snape, Gienah moved nearer to the mirror. She stepped in front of it.

A mist cleared to reveal a woman on a throne with dark hair and brilliant green eyes. She wore a crown made of silver and grand robes, the colour of the night sky. Surrounding her were women of various ages, some tall, others thin, round eyes, almond shaped, high cheekbones, chiselled jaws, others heart shaped but they all had dark hair like the queen they surrounded and silver eyes, much like her fathers.

Then the image shifted.

The mist cleared once more and the queen was standing imposingly, a great beauty. A man that looked vaguely familiar stood kneeling before her, a goblin and a centaur.

Gienah ran back to the common room and up the boys dormitory. She wanted Harry to see. Harry reluctantly sleep walked behind her. Once he stood in front of the mirror he stared and stared. He did not see what she saw. He saw his dead family. Gienah did not understand the magic of the mirror. Eventually he sat cross legged in front of his reflection. Unmoving Gienah had to drag him away. Harry seemed to develop an unhealthy obsession with the mirror. Many nights Ron spoke to her about the bed being empty when he woke up for a glass of water or the bathroom. Gienah began stopping by the mirror before her midnight walks. He saw his father and mother. Gienah could understand the craving. But the longing was insatiable. He was living a dream.

As January sped by Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic.

Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.

"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"

George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.

"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."

Gienah thought the Gryffindor's were a bit harsh on the potions master. While he did favour Slytherin he treated all houses fairly. Though he did harbour a strong dislike towards Harry. Gienah was shattered as she walked back to the tower, her robes drenched in mud. She had foregone the shower in the changing room, looking forward to a long soak with a book in hand. As she dragged her feet across the floor, thinking with a grim smile the amount of seething Filch would do once he caught her muddy train he saw Malfoy cursing Neville with his back turned. Neville fell over, his legs bound in a leg-locker curse.

"Coward." Gienah hissed, waving her wand and hexing him with an itching spell. Malfoy began to squirm but Gienah wasn't finished. She grabbed him by the collar and shoved him to the wall, holding him up with one arm.

"I see you hex anyone with their back turned ever again I promise you, you'll watch your back so long as I'm alive Malfoy." She opened the broom cupboard behind him, threw him in and locked the door with a complex spell which required more than a simple alohomora. Thank you Hermione she smiled grimly, casting the counter spell at Neville who thanked her profusely. Gienah waved her hand.

"I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on," said Neville shakily.

As they entered the common room Hermione, Harry and Ron gathered around Neville. Gienah told them what happened.

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out.

Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."

Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.

"Thanks, Harry... I think I'll go to bed... D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"

As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.

"Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever-"

He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Gienah, Ron and Hermione.

"I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here - listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"

Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.

"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry, Gienah and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.

At last she found what she was looking for.

"I knew it! I knew it!"

"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.

"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!"

Gienah gasped.

"The what?" said Harry and Ron.

"Oh, honestly, don't you two read? Look - read that, there."

She pushed the book toward them, and they read: _The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal._

 _There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)._

"See?" said Hermione, when they had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"

"No wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"

The morning of the second match had dawned. It was a game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Gienah felt confident. She was sure the training would pay off. The fundraising had gone well and they managed to get the twins two cleansweep sevens and a Nimbus 2001 for Wood. They were faster than ever. They had plays and positions drilled into their head by Wood. They played effortlessly, without shouting at each other they were able to signal with a move when they needed the quaffle. The three chasers were a beauty to watch. Angelina was a force to be reckoned with.

"Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favor Hufflepuff too much."

"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door.

In the stalls Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione sat nervously completely covered in Gryffindor merchandise. All of them had a gold and red lion painted on their faces and Black for Gold t-shirts.

Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.

"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there."

Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.

"Did your brothers faint when they were presented with the broomsticks Weasley?" Malfoy asked Ron. "I think it's great our school is so supportive of our charity."

Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him. Hermione was squinting fixedly at Gienah, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Black, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money - you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."

Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy.

"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."

"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."

"I'm warning you, Malfoy - one more word"

"Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Gienah -"

"What? Where?"

Gienah had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Gienah streaked toward the ground like a bullet.

"You're in luck, Weasley, Black's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy.

Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help.

"Come on, Gen!" Hermione and Harry screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Gienah sped straight at Snape - they didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under the seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.

Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches - the next second, Gienah had pulled out of the dive, her arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in her hand.

The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.

"Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Gen's won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front.

Gienah jumped off her broom, a foot from the ground. She couldn't believe it. She'd done it - the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, she saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped. Snape spat bitterly on the ground.

The twins had a party in the common room that evening. Mysterious bottles of butterbeer and firewhiskey being distributed among the older students.

They danced and played exploding snap and joined in with the drinking games though they sipped butterbeer. Fred and George were playing strip poker. They were down to their underpants, drunk as a skunk. Gienah looked around and realized Harry was missing.

Then he appeared through the portrait hole.

"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione squeaked.

"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right - talk about showing Slytherin!"

"Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this..."

He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard.

"So we were right, it is the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy - and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocuss- I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through -"

"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.


	6. Wearer of Skins

Chapter Six: **The Wearer of Skins**

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _The trial date has been set for March. They're trying to pull the war protocol card but Mr. Vandeviere is standing his ground with wrongful imprisonment seeing as Voldemort was defeated before your fathers capture. It also doesn't justify a retrial once the ministry had got back on its feet. I've seen Sirius a few more times. Last time I took a soap and sponge and gave him a good scrub. The aurors had no reason to deny a man a good wash. The years fell off. His hair needs a trim but they wouldn't let me in with a wand or a pair of scissors so I bought an elastic band so he can tie it up at the least. He sends his love._

 _Arthur Weasley came over last night to talk about putting in that new floor. I'm a bit nervous. It looks like we're going to have to take the roof off clean, build the floor separately and then seal everything off. We've started building the rooms in Arthur's shed. It's not too bad. Got Zeno giving us a hand. Luna is here quite a bit walking around barefoot with the nails and tools out! Unfortunately magic can only take you so far. We're having to purchase the stone and wood and assembling them by hand. Sirius doesn't see why we don't buy another house or take one of the many properties. Potter's manor is in his name while Harry is underage but I told him we'd made this a home. The spoilt brat._

 _Love,_

 _Your father_

The following weeks Hermione and Gienah lived in the library. Harry grew obsessed with following Quirrell and Snape. Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.

Hermione had started drawing up study schedules and colour coding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.

"Hermione, the exams are ages away."

"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."

On March the twenty fifth the trail had began. The first day was promising. The press had a field day. Gienah and Harry pored over the papers. The scandal had uncovered many others. Unregistered dementors kisses passed, another seven counts of imprisonment without trial and dubious releases based on useful information.

On the second day they placed Sirius under the truth serum where he confessed he'd switched with Peter Pettigrew in secret. How he'd chased him with intent to murder but Peter started yelling accusations, blasted the street and killed several muggles and transformed. They were now on a lookout for an unregistered animagus in the form of a rat. The pensive memories coincided with his testimony. Character references were brought to the jury. Dumbledore spoke of his unwavering loyalty. The fierce auror Moody spoke of Black as a valuable asset to the team in capturing death eaters. On the third day Black was found innocent of all charges and offered generous reparations that pleased even Mr. Vandeviere.

Gienah and Harry went home for the weekend as the Easter Holiday was only a day later. Dumbledore allowed them the day off and they flood home in the evening, Gienah bouncing on her feet with anticipation. Harry was nervous, not knowing what to expect of the man.

Gienah stepped out of the fireplace and saw both her father's toasting Black's good health. Gienah smiled widely as she saw both men in smart black dress robes. Sirius had finally trimmed his hair so it fell just past his ear. He looked twenty years younger. His smile was charming. His dimple revealing his mischievous streak. Gienah couldn't believe her luck. Who needed a mother who was ashamed of her when she had two incredibly handsome men who were proud to be her father. She ran forward and jumped into his arms. Still a little weak he collapsed back on the sofa as she buried her head in his chest. Harry stood awkwardly by the fire place.

Sirius Black held his daughter whilst staring at the boy in front of him.

"Harry Potter." He murmured. Gienah moved aside so he could stand up. He walked hesitantly forward, knelt down and bowed his head. "If you could ever find it in your heart to forgive me…"

"There is little to forgive." Harry said with a frown. "Peter Pettrigrew betrayed my parents. You were only stupid enough to leave your daughter behind in pursuing a vendetta."

"James would have said the same thing" Sirius chuckled, getting on his feet he offered Harry his hand.

"Now. I hear you got lumbered with Petunia." Sirius crinkled his nose.

"I've asked for custody as part of my reparations as the rightful guardian it should take a few days to file" Sirius said carefully. "If you would want to live with an old man-"

"Speak for yourself." Lupin said with a raised eyebrow. "Now! Who wants to see the new floor?"

Gienah and Harry ran upstairs. The addition was flawless. The stairs spiralled on to a second landing. Directly in front of them was Sirius's room echoing the library downstairs. It had a large window in the centre and high ceilings. The walls were wooden and the walls a deep red. On the right was Harry's room. A little smaller but lighter too. It was a palette of airy and deep blues. The guest room was a simple cream and gold.

They went up to the attic which had been transformed into a living space. It was huge. This was to be Gienah's room. All her possessions had already been moved. Gienah gasped. She ran downstairs and saw that her room had gone. Instead the library had been extended. She hugged Lupin. "I love it".

"Why the princess gets the biggest room" Black nudged Harry pouting.

"If I hadn't demanded to see you you'd never have been set free father." Gienah sniffed pointing her nose in the air. Sirius laughed and tickled his only daughter.

The next day they played Quidditch two on two. Gienah and Harry won. In the evening they went to a fancy restaurant in Edinburgh where Lupin lectured Sirius about being a responsible adult. Sirius pretended not to hear him and engaged with the children instead. Gienah told her father about Lupin's dreams of becoming a professor. Sirius declared "That's that. I'll invest in a wizarding primary school. Consider it ten years worth of birthdays and christmases. It's ridiculous we don't have primary education."

"Sirius, you can't simply set up a school."

"I reckon we should set up in London. Nice and central." Sirius continued.

"The book shop…" stuttered Lupin.

"I'll take it. I have ten years of literature to catch up on."

"Don't you want to go back in the ministry?"

"I fancy a quiet life while I recover from the worst of it." Black waved his hand, ending the conversation with a well meaning look to Lupin. Lupin sighed. Despite how much he tried to stamp out his difference with his heritage, he was a natural aristocrat.

The next day they lazed around in the garden, Sirius wanted to know everything he'd missed from both their childhoods. He poured over the albums and Lupin filled new ones. Gienah found she and her father had a lot more in common than dark hair and a slender frame. Sirius too was seeker back in his day, James Potter chaser. They had the same sense of humour. The same fierce loyalty. Myths were retold how the first Black was seduced by a beast. A beautiful woman who became a beast in the night.

The next day they had to return. It was exam season and the teachers had piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Harry and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with Gienah and Hermione, trying to get through all their extra work.

One evening Harry discovered Hagrid was hatching an egg in his hut. They went after Herbology to witness the birth. The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath. All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" said Hagrid.

"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face - he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.

"What's the matter?"

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains - it's a kid - he's runnin' back up ter the school."

Gienah bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.

Malfoy had seen the dragon.

Gienah was almost as besotted as Hagrid. She pointed out to Hagrid the dragon was a girl and called her Ethalinda. When she wasn't studying or out on the quidditch pitch she read books on caring for dragons. When she hatched Gienah doted on her. She put aside her disgust of killing animals and fed the dragon scraps of raw steak lovingly. When she realized Malfoy knew she sought him out the next day and ambushed him outside the Slytherin dungeons.

"You filthy half-blood" snarled Malfoy attempting to release himself from her death grip. Wood hadn't been training her for the ballet. He failed. "You have to stop accosting me in empty corridors. Otherwise I'm beginning to think you're rather fond of me."

"Tell anyone about Ethalinda and your dragon meat" Giena hissed in his ear.

"The oaf named the beast?!" Malfoy said astounded.

"No, I did." Gienah said releasing him and walking off.

Malfoy shook his head and walked into his common room.

That evening as Gienah did her homework in Hagrid's hut Ron fed the dragon. "Ouch!" He yelled. Ethalinda had bit him. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey - would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Ethalinda's fangs were poisonous.

By May, Ethalinda was fast outgrowing the little wooden hut. Gienah wrote home and asked if Lupin would allow Ethalinda to live in the clearing they had when Lupin transformed. It was surrounded by trees and magical enforcements that made it completely isolated.

"Let me get this right" Ron said dryly. "You wrote home to ask if you could have a pet dragon". The Weasley twins burst out laughing.

"That's our girl!"

"It's not like she won't earn her keep. Dragon blood and scales cost a fortune. All she needs is a herd of sheep and a safe place to roam." Gienah calmly responded.

"What about the poor animals?" teased Harry.

"You know full well I'm trying to wean him off meat." Gienah said hotly. She'd been transfiguring fish to look like meat and it looked to do the job, nutritionally that is.

"Charlie could help. He's a dragon keeper-"

"In Romania!" pouted Gienah.

No one said another word.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _Of course you can darling. But if you get bored of her you're finding her a new home._

 _Love,_

 _Sirius_

The next day however.

 _Gienah,_

 _Absolutely not,_

 _Your father_

"Ha! That means yes." Gienah said to Harry smugly.

She replied to Sirius asking him to collect him Saturday night on the Astronomy tower.

Saturday night Hagrid had Ethalinda packed and ready in a large crate.

"She's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed her teddy bear in case she gets lonely."

From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though the teddy was having his head torn off.

"Bye-bye, Ethal!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Gienah covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mommy will never forget you!"

How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Ethalinda up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. UP another staircase, then another - even one of her shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.

"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.

Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared.

Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.

"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you -"

"You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming - he's got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on - I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"

The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Gienah's hair was sparking with fury.

"I'm feeding Ethalinda Malfoy carcass".

Ethalinda thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, a broomstick came swooping down out of the darkness. Sirius hugged his daughter and godson. Without much time they attached Ethalinda onto the harness and placed a feather charm on her.

At last, Ethalinda was going... going... gone.

They slipped back down the spiral staircase. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.

"Well, well, well," he whispered, "we are in trouble."

They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.

Things couldn't have been worse.

Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Gienah was seething. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. Add Ethalinda and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.

Had Gienah thought that things couldn't have been worse? She was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.

"Harry!" Neville burst Out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag -"

Gienah shook her head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Ethalinda as she towered over the three of them.

"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."

"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"

Gienah caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. Poor, blundering Neville - Gienah knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them.

"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions - yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous - and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."

"Fifty?" Gienah gasped - they would lose the lead, the lead she'd won in the last Quidditch match.

"Fifty points each," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.

"Professor - please

"You can't -"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."

A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Gienah felt as though the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. How could they ever make up for this?

Fortunately exams weren't far away. Gienah and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions...

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _How's my darling girl? Ethalinda is settling right in. She's attempted to fly out of the wards a few times but the wards are holding up. Remus is fuming but when I gave him an estimate for how much income we could get just off a few drops of blood and a shed scale he shut up pretty quickly._

 _Working in the bookshop is going well. I've taken the newspaper archives out from the Ministry library which is no picnic, I'll tell you, but it helps the day go by. I'm thinking about what to do next. I don't fancy being a hit wizard again. The first time round we didn't have a choice. WIth Voldemort destroying any kind of future the Order was the one way forward. I need some adrenaline in my life. I'm 33 years old and what have I really done with my life? I want to tame dragons, break curses, fall in love with a veela who breaks my heart… You are my one achievement and once you fly the nest, what then? Your old man is suffering a midlife crisis at thirty three!_

 _Don't study too hard on those exams. Remus tells me what you're like. I hate that my best friend knows my daughter better than I do… We will rectify that. But seriously, it's first year, cause a little mischief._

 _Love,_

 _Your ever doting father._

Attached to the letter was a parcel. Opening the paper she saw it was a beautiful quill set. A note fell out from the packaging. _Remus says I'm spoiling you and money can't buy love. I say I sure as hell am gonna try. I have ten years of your life to make up for. Good luck on your exams baby._

Gienah smiled and selected one of her new quills to scribble a reply. They had been exchanging letters twice a week. As she waved Hermes off she couldn't wipe the contented smile off her face. She felt so very blessed. She had three wonderful men in her life, all intent on spoiling her rotten. She was suddenly grateful for her humble upbringing. At that moment she was snapped out of her daydreams as Harry came running into the common room.

Harry recounted what he heard outside Quirrell's classroom.

"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell -"

"There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione.

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron. "What do we do Harry?"

The light of adventure was kindling again in Gienah's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could.

"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."

"But we've got no proof!" said Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor - who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."

Hermione looked convinced, but Ron and Gienah didn't.

"Harry!" Gienah pleaded.

"If we just do a bit of poking around -" Ron said.

"No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around."

He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons.

The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, Gienah and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:

 _Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall._

 _Professor McGonagall_

Gienah wondered what detention requires such a late start. After Quidditch practice too. She groaned.

"Porskoff and Hawkhead!" Wood yelled. All players moved to beginning position. It was pouring down. The clouds were grey, but the weather humid. Seven players were seated on broomsticks mid air in various positions. All with a determined look on their face. The three chasers in scarlet faced Wood. All others were playing opponent, charming their robes an emerald green. Fred had said it made him feel queasy while George commented how it clashed with his complexion. Gienah looked around. They were beginning to look like professionals.

The whole team participated in the drills although Wood paid attention to the chasers. Spinnet began from the far end of the pitch. Gienah playing the opponent covering Spinet with the quaffle. She pulled her broom upwards in a sharp angle, forcing Gienah to do the same before dropping the quaffle in a flash. Angelina Johnson flew forward to catch the quaffle and sped forward. On either side joined Spinnet and Bell in the Hawkhead formation. Gienah charged to tackle Johnson who passed the quaffle to Bell, George attempted to take Bell while Fred covered Johnson but all three dived at once, retaining formation, Angelina with the ball and Wood covering the goals in standard centre position, she dove right but threw the quaffle dead centre. Score!

"Best Hawkshead I've seen in a long time girls" Wood chuckled. "Nice trick losing height. How did you arrange that at the same time?"

"Wood" Johnson put her elbow on Wood's shoulder. "We chasers do talk plays when you aren't around yelling formations at us. It's something we like to call Triple Drop. It's signalled when two or more players are blocked by the opposing team."

"Well, that's only useful before they know your tactics." Wood pointed out.

"Ah but they don't know if we'll dive or gain height. At the beginning of every game we signal which two blocks will signal which direction. Anyhow, we'll be too fast. All they'll be able to do is dive after us but by then the pass should have been made." Johnson said with a wry smile.

"Impressive" Gienah said. Johnson smiled down at her.

"Good practice team. Ravenclaw won't know what's hit them." Wood thumped Johnson on the back. Exhausted they all dragged themselves to the showers. It was crawling to eleven o'clock. Gienah stood in the shower and just allowed the water to hit her for a full minute, enjoying the scalding heat against her back before moving. At the beginning of practice she'd perfected the sloth grip roll. Wood was now teaching her diversion techniques which involved collaboration with the chasers to ambush the opposite players without any physical contact. However she would only be involved with these ploys if they were having serious issues with possession. Gienah had the least tactical position. The seeker relied on speed, a sharp eye, dodging bludgers and strategic capture.

Feeling ready for bed and a cup of hot cocoa Gienah grumbled as the Weasley's yawned and stretched.

"Off to bed then Fred."

"I might have a hot chocolate but yes, that practice has taken it out of me."

"A warm fire, hot cocoa, a nice bed" George smiled his eyes fluttering.

"Now where you off to Gen?" Fred said with false curiosity.

"You know full well I have detention" growled Gienah.

"Ah, that's what you get for hatching illegal dragons young Gienah" said George with a yawn, real this time. They left her at the entrance hall grumbling about stupid red haired boys rubbing hot cocoa in her face.

Filch came hobbling to the entrance hall. He sneered at her. She nodded with a strained smile. Malfoy came second. Gienah was itching to throttle the boy. He was the reason they'd been caught. Malfoy refused to meet her eye. Harry and Neville joined her soon enough.

"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Gienah wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted.

The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Gienah could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

Gienah's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. Her relief must have showed in her -face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, girl - it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.

"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night - there's all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard."

Gienah snorted. Lupin was a pussycat. Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise.

"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

"Werewolves only transform doing the full moon you dweeb" Gienah said rolling her eyes as he squeaked.

Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.

"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Gen, Harry, Neville?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, they're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

"How's Ethal doin' then?" Hagrid asked worriedly to Gienah.

Malfoy turned to Hagrid and cut Gienah off.

"I'm not going in that forest", he said, and Gienah was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd-"

"tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or Yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on"'

Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.

"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."

He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.

"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. " So me, Harry and Gen go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any -"

"I don't think these two will manage on their own Hagrid." Smiled Gienah sweetly. "I reckon I should go with Malfoy. Keep an eye on him."

Malfoy flashed a look of fear, marring his indifference.

"Right you are. Right, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now - that's it - an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh - so, be careful - let's go."

The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Gienah, Neville, and Fang took the right.

They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.

"Malfoy."

"Black" Malfoy kept his wand high, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"McGonagall said the most ridiculous thing" Gienah laughed falsely. "That you believed we were getting rid of a dragon that night at the Astronomy Tower. But of course, I thought she must have been mistaken because I had threatened you, quite considerate to offer you warning I thought, that if you told anyone, you would be dragon meat."

Neville looked back and forth between Gienah and Malfoy. They had stopped walking and faced each other, a meter between them. Gienah's hair was sparking with barely controlled magic.

"Yet here you are."

"You're insane." Malfoy took a few steps behind him. "All you Blacks always were."

"Hush now," snarled Gienah. "You don't want to insult your mother."

"Gienah" warned Neville nervously.

"I'm just going to teach Malfoy a little lesson," Gienah smiled dangerously. "On my turf".

Malfoy began to run. Gienah ran after him. Neville hesitated before chasing after her. As much as he feared Malfoy, he didn't want Gienah to get in trouble.

"Gienah!" He shouted. He'd already lost them. The minutes dragged by. His ears seemed sharper than usual. Neville seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. He tripped and fell, took turning after turning. Every noise made him flinch.

Gienah prowled her prey with a gleam in her eye. Malfoy stumbled and fell but Gienah had walked most paths in the forest. Finally he reached a clearing where the trees were thick and his way was hindered. As he attempted to climb the tangled roots Gienah transformed in the shadows. She stepped into the clearing, snorting heavily. Malfoy heard the creature's breathing and trembled, daring himself to turn and face it.

Gienah placed her scaly claws forward and knelt down, ready to pounce. Malfoy turned and saw a blur of green before he was pinned onto the tree behind him by one scaly green claw. He followed the emerald scales and faced a beautiful dragon with sparkling eyes. The dragon was breathing steam from her nose. Then she breathed from her mouth. A stream of fire blew from her mouth, singing the top of his dishevelled hair. Malfoy winced and then thought he heard the dragon chuckle!

"Gienah?" Malfoy gasped, looking at those intelligent emerald green eyes. "You're a dragon."

Gienah was suddenly hit by a stinging hex from behind her. She growled and turned to see a shaking Neville Longbottom wielding a wand like a sword.

"Get away from him you overgrown lizard!" Neville stuttered. Gienah retreated not wanting to harm her friend. Neville threw another stinging hex. It barely hurt her but she pretended to whimper. Neville lowered his wand, a little concerned for the beast. "Malfoy, come over here".

He didn't need telling twice. He hurried away from the dragon who turned, stretched her wings and flew up and away, leaving a soft breeze behind. The dragon was an adolescent. Gienah could not transform into creatures she'd never seen before. She needed to acquire a familiarity with the creature. Ethalinda was only a newborn so she couldn't do much damage. But hopefully the message had sunk in. She transformed nearby and came running back toward the clearing. She had to hold back a chuckle when she saw the side of Malfoy's hair incinerated.

"You!" Malfoy screamed, throwing sparks into the air. "Beast!"

Gienah sighed and disarmed him.

"What are you talking about Malfoy you great prat?"

"She's a dragon" he hissed to Neville. "It was her! She said she'd turn me into dragon meat. It's her!" Malfoy crawled back taking Neville with him.

Neville looked concerned. "You alright Malfoy?"

Malfoy howled in frustration when Hagrid came running into the clearing.

"What's 'appened?" He looked around.

"She's a bloomin' dragon that's what you oaf." Malfoy cowered. "This school's going to the dogs. What's next? A werewolf for a professor? A vampire for headmaster?"

"Alright, enough of this nonsense." Hagrid rolled his eyes at Gienah who shrugged innocently. As he turned and led them to Harry and Hermione she sniggered to herself. A werewolf for a teacher indeed. If only he could tell her of her father's plans.

In fifteen minutes they rejoined Harry who looked enquiringly at Gienah who just smiled devillishly.

"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you three were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups - Malfoy, you stay with me, Harry, you go with Gen an' Neville." said Hagrid.

So Harry set off into the heart of the forest with Gienah, Neville and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Gienah thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Gienah could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.

"Look -" she murmured, holding out her arm to stop Harry.

Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer. It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.

Gienah had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made her freeze where she stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered... Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Neville, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.

The sight made Gienah blood boil. Without thinking twice she pounced at the cloaked figure transforming into a wolf as she sank her claws into the creature.

The creature let out a terrible scream and attempted to set itself free - so did Fang. The wolf landed a few feet from the creature. It had burnt her with his wand! It was a wizard. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry - unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry - he couldn't move for fear.

Then Harry staggered backward. He heard hooves behind him, galloping, and something jumped clean over Harry, charging at the figure. Both the centaur and the wolf ran after the figure. Gienah was in shock. She was sure she'd seen Quirrel beneath that hood. The centaur had turned back. Hopefully to see to Harry. She was losing him. She closed her eyes and thought of a thestral and soon enough she had wings which stretched magnificently before her. She followed him in the air. He reached the outskirts of the forest and slowed down, walking into the castle. Turning into a sparrow she followed him closer. The figure stilled, turned and the last thing she saw was a flash of red.

"Gienah!" Harry waved his wand. She'd been stunned. She opened her eyes and saw that he was alone. "The creature…"

"It was Voldemort!" Harry said. "I was saved by the centaur Firenze and a wolf… it looked like a werewolf but it didn't attack us. Wait, how did you get here? Weren't you with Neville? We realized you were missing so we split up." Harry threw green sparks in the air. "Hagrid said to throw sparks up when we found you."

Hagrid, Malfoy, and Neville emerged from the forest.

"What happened?" Hagrid knelt down beside her.

"I found her here. She-"

"Fainted. I ran from the creature, lost Neville and fainted."

"You fainted?" Malfoy said with disbelief.

"Right…" Hagrid looked equally unconvinced but dropped it. "We found the unicorn. Get back to your beds." Hagrid had left the unicorn corpse by his hut. He and Fang walked off leaving Malfoy with them.

"I don't know what you are, Black." Spat out Malfoy. "But I'm going to find out and have you expelled as a danger to fellow classmates."

With that he attempted to walk away but Gienah grabbed his shoulder.

"I'm not sure that would be wise Malfoy" she said smiling to reveal teeth that resembled dragons fangs. Her face resembled emerald scales for a second before fading to reveal smooth ivory skin.

Malfoy jumped and ran into the castle.

Harry remained silent until they said night to Neville. Harry told him to go on without him, muttering something about homework.

"Good idea" Gienah said when Neville left them in the common room.

"I just said that to get rid of Neville" Harry rolled his eyes and went over to Ron and Hermione. He had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake. In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry began to tell him, Gienah and Hermione what had happened in the forest.

"Why would something drink unicorns blood when it's cursed?" Ron said with disgust.

"Because the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure to save yourself, and you will have but a cursed life from the moment the blood touches your lips." Gienah said. Hermione looked impressed.

"But Firenze said you would drink it if all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else - something that will bring you back to full strength and power - something that will mean you can never die." Harry continued, pacing up and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking.

"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course - the Elixir of Life" Hermione jumped up, her eyes round with fear.

"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort... and Voldemort's waiting in the forest... and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich..."

"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.

Harry wasn't listening.

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so... Bane was furious... he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen... They must show that Voldemort's coming back... Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me... I suppose that's written in the stars as well."

"Harry" Gienah said in a small voice.

"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.

"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off... Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."

Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.

"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."

"Harry." Gienah said softly. Harry continued to pace. "Harry!"

They turned to look at her.

"I don't think it's Snape."

All three of them stared at her.

"Gienah" Ron sighed. "We know you all like the slimeball"

"I don't like him!" Gienah snapped. "I tolerate him."

Ron rolled his eyes.

"No, Ron listen." Gienah said quietly. "I saw him beneath the hood. And it wasn't Snape. His eyes were-" Gienah shivered. "Pale blue. Not black."

"What are you saying?" Hermione said nervously.

"What if we've got it wrong?" Gienah continued. "What if Snape's been threatening Quirrel for the right reasons? What if Quirrell's trying to get the stone?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Ron snorted. "Quirrell. Garlic stuffed in his turban, stuttering Quirrell?"

"I'm keeping an eye on him." Gienah said resiliently. "I know what I saw."

That Saturday was the last match against Ravenclaw. Practice was every evening that week. When Gienah got back she joined Hermione with revision. While Hermione went to bed at one, two in the morning, Gienah marched on till dawn. Slept a few hours before going running. Ate a hurried breakfast and had an hour nap. She was half-present in her lessons. Sleeping in History of Magic. Only in her Potions and DADA lessons did she remain wide eyed and alert.

She kept a close eye on Quirrell and noticed his stuttering was far from consistent. When she spoke to him one and one after lesson one day it was barely there. Hermione suggested he had issues speaking to large groups. Gienah screamed in frustration and left an unfinished dinner to get to practice early.

On Saturday morning Gienah skipped breakfast all together and went straight to the pitch. She did a few drills alone before the team came to join her. Wood called her down and shoved an apple in her mouth.

The crowds were filling the stadium. They awaited behind the Gryffindor entrance awaiting their introduction. Gienah was at the back, behind the Weasley's. Even Fred looked a little queazy.

"Welcome to the final match of the year!" Lee Jordan's voice boomed around the stadium. Hundreds of students roared in support of Gryffindor. "Introducing the Gryffindor team captained by Wood, Spinnet, Bell, Johnson, Weasley, Weasley aaaand Black!" As he called their name they mounted on their brooms and flyed around the stadium before standing in starting positions. Gienah thumped her fist in the air as she passed the Gryffindor stadium. She saw Ron and Neville stand as she passed holding a huge banner featuring a lion eating an eagle. They chanted as they assembled "VICTORY IS OURS. LIONS WILL DEVOUR. GRYFFINDOR GRYFFINDOR ROAR ROAR ROAR".

Then the Ravenclaw's came zooming out. Gienah smirked as she saw the team fly in. Looking around it was clear who had the better team. They would be able to endure longer but Gienah knew not to get lulled into false hope. If the seeker found the snitch first, all their drills would mean nothing.

"Let the match commence!" Lee roared as the bludgers were released, the quaffle thrown and the snitch disappeared, swallowed by the vast space. Gienah wasted no time circling the pitch.

"And Johnson has the quaffle. Pursued by Davies and Burrow. She dives up, drops the quaffle, the Poskoff Ploy is a success. Spinet has the quaffle. Reverse pass to Bell, Johnson, Spinet, Johnson. Davies can't keep up. Johnson has a clear shot aand - it's a goal for Gryffindor!"

Ron whooped in the stands. Gryffindors began chanting again as the Slytherin's booed. Their victory was riding on a quick Ravenclaw win.

"Strutton takes possession. A double beater defence by the Weasley's throws Strutton off course and he's dropped the quaffle! Spinet catches it and it's Bell, Johnson, a beautiful Hawkshead formation. All three chasers are on their tail! Can she clear a goal and- and - what was that! Wood has these chasers trained without fault! A beautiful dive from all three chasers, pass to Spinnet who takes the keeper off guard and thats 20-0 to Gryffindor!"

Gienah wasn't paying attention as the crowds cheered. Her broomstick was moving without her jolted back and forth, trying to shake her off - Gienah screamed. She fell off the broom, managing to hold on with one hand.

"The Gryffindor seeker is managing some difficulties." Lee drew the crowd's attention as Gryffindor scored a fourth goal. "The broomstick seems to be twitching… That broomsticks been tampered with!"

Ravenclaw''s first goal went unnoticed as the Weasley twins helped her clamour back onto the broomstick. From the stalls Hermione looked at the staff stands and saw Quirrel muttering under his breath. She gasped and climbed down from her stands and walked round to the staff entrance. Ron looked around. "Where did Hermione go?" Harry shrugged his shoulders, his binoculars pressed against his glasses, focused on his sister. Her broomstick continued to spasm. The Ravenclaw seeker meanwhile was diving. , the Weasley twins followed on either side, forcing him to slow down.

The Gryffindor chasers meanwhile picked the speed up, worried their seeker was out of play. Johnson scored a long shot and sought possession ruthlessly , passing between Spinet and Bell so fast they were a blur. Lee could only manage to say the players names. "60- 20 to Gryffindor!"

Stanier, the Ravenclaw seeker had lost the snitch. The Weasley twins hi-fived each other and smacked a bludger each to Burrow. Covering his head he dropped the quaffle and Johnson captured it just before it hit the floor. So far below she zoomed to the other side of the pitch and kicked the quaffle into the left hoop by jumping off her broom holding the broom with one hand and taking aim.

"After this game I'm taking that girl for a drink" sighed Lee. McGonagall smacked him on the head.

Hermione was under the bleachers, crawling surreptitiously to the row where Quirrell was seated. "Incendio" she whispered. a small fire caught on Quirrel's robes. Hermione quickly ran back to her seat and saw with relief that Gienah's broom was functioning again. Gienah once more circled the pitch keeping an eye out for the snitch.

The chasers were on top game. What with the Weasley's lurking on the Gryffindor side of the pitch Wood was made redundant for the next twenty minutes. Goal after goal in favour of the Gryffindors. If only she could capture the snitch. They were in the lead. They would win. She had a close eye on Stanier but she too zoomed lazily around.

"And Bradley and Page chase Bell. She's been tackled and Davies catches the quaffle. Finally Ravenclaw in possession. The Weasley twins bat a bludger each and that's the captain injured! Time out! TIME OUT."

Gienah fell to the ground. Wood was beaming at them all. The Weasley's told him to stop. "Unnatural" Fred shivered.

"Gienah" Wood looked at her closely. "Get that snitch and the cup is ours. Though Johnson, you keep that up and it won't matter."

Johnson smirked as they were called back to the game. Davies had his head bandaged. He was out for blood. But his team were flagging. All those mornings had worked in their favour. The Gryffindor's were hardly breaking a sweat.

Five minutes into the game and Gienah finally saw it. A glint of gold by the Ravenclaw keeper. He was completely oblivious. Gienah urged her broomstick forward. The keeper thought he was being attacked and left his hoops wide open. Johnson scored an easy twelfth goal. Gienah zoomed after the snitch and heard a whizzing behind her. Stanier had caught on. The snitch swerved and both seekers were neck on neck. Suddenly the snitch dropped into the edge of the stands, beneath the wooden ceilings. Gienah slipped into a crack and stopped dead in her tracks. The snitch stood still in front of her. Its wings fluttering so fast she could only see a blur of gold. She captured it just as Stanier crashed into her. Groaning she headed up and waved the snitch above her head. She circled the stadium, holding the snitch while punching the air. The crowds stood to cheer after her. "Gryffindor win 240-30" Jordan shouted in a daze. "If Wood doesn't get signed…" He muttered to himself as he walked out of his box to congratulate the team.

Back in the common roo Gienah was seated in the corner with Harry, Hermione and Ron. "I told you! Quirrell knew I saw him, so he jinxed my broomstick" said Gienah bitterly. "He's hoping to get me out the way in case I tell anyone."

"But there's still Fluffy" Ron reminded them. "Relax, you caught the snitch." He passed her a butterbeer and toasted Gienah, the youngest seeker in a century.

In years to come, Gienah would never quite remember how she had managed to get through her exams when he half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.

Exam week had begun. It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.

They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox - points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.

Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Gienah couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

"What did I tell you!" Gienah laughed, feeling completely care-free. "Goblin wars and the statute of secrecy. It's all Bin drones on about."

Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows. "No more studying," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."

Harry was rubbing his forehead.

"I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting - it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.

"I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..."

Hagrid suddenly jumped to his feet.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

Gienah just looked at Ron blankly before running after him. Harry was sprinting across the grounds towards the forest. Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Ethal? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."

He saw the four of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head - that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah... he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after... so I told him... an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... an' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks... Let's see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."

"And did he - did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well - yeah - how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep -"

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey - where're yeh goin'?"

Harry, Ron, Gienah, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Quirrell or Voldemort under that cloak - it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"

They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

"We'll just have to -" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.

"What are you three doing inside?"

It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry and Ron thought.

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"

Gienah swallowed - now what?

"It's sort of secret," she said, but he wished at once she hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone?" said Harry frantically. "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time -

"But this is important."

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"

"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor - it's about the Sorcerer's stone -"

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up. "How do you know -?" she spluttered.

"Professor, I think - I know - that Qui- that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor -"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."

But they didn't.

"It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Quirrel's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."

"But what can we -"

Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round.

Snape was standing there.

"Good afternoon," he said smoothly.

They stared at him.

"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.

"We were -" Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say.

"You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"

Harry flushed. They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back.

"Be warned, Potter - any more night time wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."

He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.

Gienah turned to the others. "I'm going to talk to him."

"Are you mad?" said Ron.

"If he's been threatening Quirrell he knows what we're up against."

WIthout waiting for a response she ran after Snape.

"Professor!" Gienah caught up with him with little difficulty.

"Black" He nodded at her.

"I never understood why you didn't like me," Black thought aloud. "Whatever issues you have with me professor can we place our differences aside for a moment?"

Snape made no response.

"I think Quirrell's going after the stone tonight."

Snape looked down at her his face immovable betraying as much emotion as a marble statue.

"I know you've been trying to stop him."

"Just like your father." Snape sneered. "Meddling where it doesn't concern you."

"Where Voldemort is concerned, I make it my business to meddle." Gienah looked back at her, holding her head high.

"The dark lord?" Snape finally revealed a flicker of emotion.

"Quirrell's stealing the stone on his orders."

"How have you come across this information?" Snape said, his brow arched.

"The centaurs." Gienah said.

"Very well…"Snape turned, his cloak whipping behind him. "Follow me Black."

They walked to the staff room. Quirrell was nowhere to be found, then his office. The man had disappeared.

"What are we going to do?" said Gienah frantically.

"We aren't going to do anything" Snape said firmly. "This is no business for a twelve year old girl."

"Fine!" said Gienah. "I'll get to the stone before he does." She was stalking off to the third floor when Snape stopped her. He sighed and decided to lead on.

"How do you know he's after the stone tonight?"

"The headmaster's out of the castle."

"I'm surprised Potter and his faithful sidekick haven't come running after you" sneered Snape.

"They don't know…" Gienah said guiltily. "I think Harry will try tonight, but I can't let him risk his life. Voldemort wants his blood, not mine. It's my job to look after him. I'm his big sister."

"How… touching." Snape said.

Reaching the oak door with the heavy doorknob, Snape did the honours. As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them. The dog growled. Gienah froze. He really was beautiful. "Fluffy" she cooed. Snape looked at her oddly. She smiled. She didn't understand human's dislike for creatures more dangerous than them. Snape conjured a harmonica and began playing. He was a bit rusty but it did the trick. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased - it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep. Gienah fell from the trap door first.

"A harmonica?" Gienah snorted. They had landed on a soft, springy surface surrounded by vines.

"Devil's snare." muttered Snape, he cast a fire and he fell through. Gineah did the same before the vines began curling around her wrists, threatening to suffocate her in their iron grip. She hadn't noticed that from the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles.

"These defences are merely child proof!"

Snape couldn't help but silently agree. He hoped Dumbledore's was impenetrable.

They had landed in a dark room. Snape had gone down a stone passageway. All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Gienah was reminded of Gringotts.

"Is it because I'm a Gryffindor, or because I'm the daughter of Sirius Black?" Gienah continued.

"What are you talking about girl?" Snape said boredly.

"That you dislike me."

"I do not dislike you." Snape said. "I am indifferent."

"Like hell you are." Gienah said with disbelief.

"Think what you like." Snape said. "It is neither here nor there."

"It wouldn't hurt to smile now and then either." Gineah said sourly.

Snape smirked and Gienah saw that the professor was rather handsome in his own way. Though his hair was limp from grease, no doubt due to the many potions his head supervised during the day, it was a beautiful raven black. His nose was hooked in a Greek fashion and rather noble-

A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead. They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

"Keys!" Gienah said.

Snape looked at her expectantly. Then at the broomsticks by the door.

"What?"

"You're the… celebrated seeker."

"You're the grown up!"

"Fine" he drawled. "We'll both go. We're looking for a silver key."

It wasn't an easy task. Soon however, she noticed a large silver key, Gienah leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Looking battered she unlocked the door and grinned smugly, allowing Snape through first.

The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight. They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. The towering white chessmen had no faces. Behind the white pieces they could see another door.

"We have to play our way across the room?" Gienah asked Snape. He merely nodded.

"I'll take bishop." Snape concentrated on the floor. "You take the castle."

As soon as they had replaced the chess pieces a white pawn had moved forward two squares. Snape started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Snape made the second move. Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.

Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Finally their knight was taken leaving Snape to checkmate the king.

The white king took off his crown and threw it at his feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear.

Gienah ran through first and was greeted by a disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, a troll even larger than the one she had tackled on Halloween.

"Not again" She groaned as the troll took a menacing step forward. Snape calmly waved his wand and targeted the troll's eyes. Slowly the troll was put to sleep. Gienah was impressed. She would have transformed into a dragon and incinerated him but this was much more classy. Who'd have thought. Snape, classy.

She pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line. Gienah read a scroll placed beside the bottles.

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,

One among us seven will let you move ahead,

Another will transport the drinker back instead,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;

Second, different are those who stand at either end,

But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.

"Smallest bottle will get us through the black fire. The rounded bottle back through the purple flames." Snape said without fuss. Of course, this was his own defence.

"Right," Gienah looked at the bottle and frowned. "There's only enough for one."

"Black… Gienah" Snape sighed. "I need you to go and get the stone. If Quirrell is coming and reveals his true allegiance I'd be expected to obey his orders. If you get the stone there is no danger. Your allegiance is to Potter. Beside, he isn't there. If he comes through I'll stun him before he registers I'm here."

"Why do I think it won't be as simple as that?" Gienah sighed.

"Because it never is." He said with a rare smile.

"Why would you be expected to obey orders?" Gienah said suspiciously.

"It's a long story." Snape sighed.

Gienah looked at him unfalteringly.

"I was a death eater." Snape confessed quietly. "I'm not proud of it."

"Ron was right," she moaned. "Wait, that doesn't make sense. Why haven't you killed me?."

"Note the past tense." Snape said. "I turned spy before the dark lord was banished. If he returns, I need to be able to return to my charade."

"That's awful brave of you professor" Gienah put a tentative hand on his arm. Snape looked at the gesture with hesitation. Unused to such acts of kindness.

He nodded at her and she saw something in his eyes that changed her view of her potions master from that day on. Smiling back at him she held her bottle up to him, as if to toast him, and drank the potion at once. It was as though ice was flooding her body. Se put the bottle down and walked forward; she braced herself, saw the black flames licking her body, but couldn't feel them - for a moment she could see nothing but dark fire - then she was on the other side, in the last chamber.

It was a large hall with marble floors and stone pillars. A hall fit for Kings. Stood imposingly at the centre was the Mirror of Erised. Where was the philosophers stone? She went to stand before the mirror and expected to see the woman. Instead she saw only her reflection. Except she was smiling and held out a blood red stone in her hand and placed it in her pocket. As she did so she felt something heavy drop in her robe pocket. She gasped and found the blood red stone right there. It was remarkably unimpressive. She didn't waste another second. She stepped back through the black flames and froze at the sight before her.

Snape was knocked out laying eagle-spread on the floor. A trickle of blood pooling beside his head. Harry and Hermione were ferociously duelling Quirrell. But- his turban was unwrapped from his head and lying on the floor. Instead of a smooth bald head was the face of a man. No, not a man. Half man half snake. He had slits for a nose. His eyes were bloodshot red. His face a pale white. He was shouting orders. His voice sounded like hissing. It couldn't be… Lord Voldemort. Hermione was bound by ropes and now Harry stood alone. Gienah snapped out of her daze and joined Harry to fight the professor. When Quirrell saw her he snarled. Gienah was not daunted. She closed her eyes and transformed into a thestral, beating her powerful wings she clawed at his face causing him to scream in pain.

"Gienah!" Harry yelled. His face was chalk white. But she didn't listen. Her mentality was tainted by her predatory form. Her claws sunk into his eyes. She then grabbed him and flew up. Quirrell moaned with pain. As she reached the ceiling she dropped the man and saw the crumbled figure below. Squawking triumphantly she descended, transformed and ran to Snape. Waving her wand she performed a few basic healing charms. Harry released Hermione and she came running to assist Gienah. Placing him on a stretcher they shared the potion between them and left Quirrell bound and to look to his own injuries. Gienah noted he was still breathing. Ah well, it couldn't be helped. Killing him now wouldn't be an act of self-defence.

Harry went to see to Ron, a crumpled mess on the chess floor. Placing him on a floating stretcher they went through the various chambers in silence. Harry refused to look at her. Only when they had managed to escape Fluffy by the skin of their teeth did he turn upon her.

"How dare you go without us? Without telling your own brother? Not even a note!" Harry roared. Gienah blinked. The boy had a temper. But she stood her ground.

"Exactly." Gienah replied coolly. "My baby brother! Harry, I went with the supervision of an able professor. You would have gone down there alone. I wanted this over."

"Your dear professor was stuck down by Quirrell." Harry retorted.

"That was the plan!" Gienah said with her hands in her hair. "I am more than capable of taking care of Quirrell by myself. Thank you for the vote of confidence."

"You could have died." Harry's eyes were hardened, but his voice was choked up. They stared at eachother for a few moments before he captured her in a rib-crushing hug.

"If you two are done with you display of sibling love" Hermione rolled her eyes, though she smiled a little at the pair. "We have two injured persons here."

They levitated the stretchers to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey for the first time asked no question. An hour passed, and Quirrel was covered with a white sheet. Then Professor Dumbledore entered the Wing and walked straight to Harry.

"Harry my boy" Dumbledore sighed with relief and gave him a small smile. "I came as soon as I heard. A foolish, foolish act. But admirable nonetheless."

Gienah coughed.

"Yes Ms. Black?"

"It was actually I who defeated Quirrell." Gienah said with a touch of annoyance. "And I have your precious stone".

"But Ms. Black-"

"So it's Harry for him and Ms. Black to me is it?" Gienah couldn't help but care what the old man thought of her. She ran from the Wing and out into the forest. It was past midnight but she walked through the trees and vented her anger by walking as far as possible from the castle.

"Gienah Black" a deep voice said from the shadows behind the trees.

"Who speaks?" She called nervously, raising her wand.

"Not an enemy, not quite a friend" A centaur came out from the shadows.

"You charged Quirrell the other night." Gienah squinted her eyes at the handsome centaur with white blond hair and shocking blue eyes.

"As did you." The centaur looked down at her with intelligent eyes.

"How-how do you know?"

"Your form may change, but your soul remains the same."

"How- poetic." She smiled at him.

"What brings you out here, wearer of skins?"

"I come here to clear my thoughts. Escape from the world."

"You are seeking the company of creatures other than your kind?"

"I am certainly fleeing creatures of my kind."

A silence fell.

"Could your form take my own?"

Gienah walked around the centaur and hesitantly touched his skin, stroking it. She closed her eyes. His velvet skin, his lean chest, his powerful form…

"Incredible" The centaur bowed before her.

She looked down and saw her bare chest covered barely by the waves of her black hair. Her mane was of the same colour. Velvet fur covered her legs. She had six limbs! No wonder centaurs were powerful creatures. To run with the speed of a stead and have two able arms.

"Beautiful".

Gienah blushed at the praise. The centaur came forward and brushed his lips against hers. She gasped, but he retreated.

"Forgive me." The centaur seemed embarrassed by his behaviour, turned and galloped into the darkness once more. Sighing she closed her eyes and returned to her human form.

The wearer of skins. She liked that name better than shapeshifter. It implied she had one true identity. She began to walk aimlessly towards the boundary. She saw a large shadow sat on a stone by Hagrid's hut. He was playing a flute. It was a charming sound. The sound of woodland music. He played with the delicate touch of water nymphs. It was sad and melancholy, tragic and filled with beauty. She stood in the shadows and found herself shedding tears. Wiping them away she reached into her pocket. The stone offering a life of immortality. Who wanted more of this life she thought sadly. Life and death. Birth and reincarnation. Life was a cycle, not worth living if they were a line stretching to eternity.

"Ya planning on standin' there all night?" Hagrid growled. Gienah smiled and joined him on the boulder. "Ya know I see ya walkin' into the forest most nights. I never say a word. I know how it is."

"Thank you Hagrid," she rest her head against his arm. "You're a real friend."

Hagrid picked up his flute and began to play again. Gienah opened her eyes and watched the moon and the stars and felt at peace.

"We went to get the stone" Gienah murmured.

"I thought ya might" Hagrid snorted. "Owled Dumbledore meself."

Gienah brought it out of her pocket and showed it to Hagrid.

"Never saw the fuss" Hagrid said. "Such a small thing."

"No, me neither." Gienah turned the blood red stone in her hands. "Riches and everlasting life. What is that compared to love and grief?"

"You're an old soul Gienah Black."

"I think I should go back in."

"Goodnight, Gienah Black" Hagrid smiled and played his flute once again. She mourned the sound as she entered the draughty castle with its stone floors and sleeping walls. She went to the headmaster's office and knocked on the door before the gargoyle. She sighed as nothing happened and turned to leave only to be faced by the headmaster himself.

"I sometimes go for a walk myself, to clear my head." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at the young witch. "Please, do come in".

The gargoyle silently bid him entry. The spiral stone staircase took them to a polished oak door with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin. Upon entry she found herself in a large and beautiful circular room with windows affording a magnificent view of the mountains surrounding the castle. The office was illuminated by candlelight. The walls were covered in portraits. Dumbledore sat behind an enormous claw-footed desk. Curious silver instruments littered the office. Behind the door was a golden perch where a beautiful scarlett phoenix was sleeping.

"My apologies, Gienah." He began. "An old man is blinded by lore. Many years ago I was told a prophecy regarding Harry Potter and I assumed he would defeat the dark lord once again. It seems my gratitude was misplaced."

"Would you know anything about an invisible creature that mauled the professor to his death?"

"No." Gienah said quickly.

"I see." Dumbledore surveyed her closely. "I believe you have something that belongs to a friend of mine."

Gienah reached into her pocket and handed the stone to him.

"I'm sorry we meddled. Your defences were impenetrable." Gienah said guiltily.

"It was with good intention." Dumbledore waved his hand.

"Take care of your brother, Gienah", and with that she was dismissed. Dumbledore turned in his chair and looked down at the grounds. He saw Hagrid playing his flute and felt a deep fear. Gienah Black was a dangerous and unpredictable young woman and he had not factored her in his plans. She was loyal and fierce. But she had felt justified in committing a murder at twelve years of age. Dumbledore would have to be on his guard.

The end-of-year feast was a magnificent affair that night. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...

Before I announce the house champions there are last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes...

"First - to Mr. Ronald Weasley..." Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn. "...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

At last there was silence again.

"Second - to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Hermione buried her face in her arms; Gienah strongly suspected she had burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves - they were a hundred points up. "Third - to Mr. Harry Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet "for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

"Fourth, to Ms. Gienah Black for her fierce loyalty and ruthless sense of justice, I award sixty points.

The sound was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had five hundred and thirty-two points - exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup - if only Dumbledore had given Gienah just one more point.

Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Gienah, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him.

"Which means, Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration."

He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a polite smile. He caught Gienah's eye and she could have sworn he had smiled.

Gienah had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, Gienah came first. Hermione, came a close second. Though she appeared crestfallen she confessed if there was anyone she could come second to it was her. Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life.

And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.

Gienah grabbed her trunk and ran outside. Seeing her father's she ran towards them and jumped to embrace Lupin. "Have you grown" His knees buckled at the weight. Gienah glared at him before turning to kiss her father on the cheeks.

"I see how it is" sulked Sirius. "Your real father is placed second."

"Don't you pout, it is so unbecoming on your handsome face father." Gienah hugged him once more. "I missed you so much." She almost cried right there and then. All the emotions she had held up since that night. A few more hours and she felt she would collapse with the weight of it. Lupin found Harry and told him the Dursley's would not be picking him up. They had been granted custody and he would collect the rest of things later in the summer. Harry actually hugged Lupin and refused to let go. Ron and Hermione beamed at Harry.

"You have to visit in the summer, Harry. You two as well!" Ron waved as he hurried off to join his family, a sea of redheads.

Once again they had dinner at the Leaky Cauldron before flooing home. Once there Harry and Lupin had retired quite early to bed sensing Gienah was in need of some quality father daughter time. Sirius made a mug of hot cocoa, adding cinnamon, marshmallows and whipped cream. He grabbed a blanket and gestured outside. Gienah smiled and followed him to the swinging bench in the garden. Stretched before them were the night sky.

"Love?" Sirius said with a touch of concern.

"I murdered a man" Gienah barely managed to say the words, guilt hurting her like a dagger twisting in her heart.

"My darling little girl" Black put his arm around her. "You did what you had to do. His life is no loss to society."

"I could have stunned him! Sent him to Azkaban!" Gienah cried. "I clawed him and threw him from the ceiling and what more, I was hungry for it. Looking down at him, his broken body, it made my blood sing!"

"What do you mean, looking down at - clawing-" Sirius said quietly.

"I'm a shapeshifter. Or a wearer of skins." Gienah said nervously. "Please don't hate me father."

"You're father is a werewolf" Sirius sighed. "As far as I'm considered I have a rare and talented daughter. Yes, you killed a man. But you are capable of feeling remorse. I've thirsted for blood, and I still do. I look forward to the day I can rip Wormtail, limb by limb. It's a Black weakness. But it is our flaws that make us human."

"How do I live with myself?"

"Simply by living." Sirius said with a kiss to her forehead.


	7. Dobby's Warning

Chapter Seven: **Dobby's Warning**

The holiday began lazily. Harry and Gienah spent days out in the garden, swimming in the lake, flying over the mountains. Sirius spent most of the day at the bookshop, Lupin busied himself with paperwork for his new school. There was surprisingly few legislation required from the ministry. Sirius paid a goblin an arm and a leg for a false identity for Lupin. Romulus Lupin had received approval from the Department of Education and was now viewing appropriate properties in London. Requiring demanding protective and secrecy wards it was a tough search. Lupin was forced to look to outer London. Giving up he decided to buy a small inner city farm in East London and brought the surrounding park for construction. The price was worth the location. It would be open to children of unprivileged backgrounds. Gienah helped Lupin with the school designs, they hired a wizarding architect and drew inspiration from Hogwarts. It was an exciting project and Gienah had never seen Lupin look so alive. Harry helped Lupin with the curriculum. It was fairly basic. The school would begin part-time till they were confident to hire more teachers and teach a fully fledged curriculum.

Sirius was still mulling over his career aspirations. He thought about going into dragon keeping but felt the field was too narrow. Gienah became attached with opening a magical safari but Sirius pointed out taking them out of their natural habitat was just cruel.

"Yes but father, there are many endangered species that could do with a controlled environment! They'd be free from poachers and ignorant muggles! We could have a sustainable breeding programme and fundraise so our creatures won't be caged, but free to roam like Ethalinda!"

"She makes a good point" conceded Lupin.

"How would you finance such an ambitious endeavour darling?"

"Are you kidding me?" Gienah said jumping up and down, barely containing her excitement. "The same way we fund Ethalinda. AND we could charge tickets for members of the public to have a guided tour of the safer creatures. Hogwarts trips and then senior guides for potion masters and biologists- thingy people. And it wouldn't be a zoo. They'd live a fairly normal life. Regulated and safe."

"There's a reason magical creatures haven't been confined to one area before. We have no precedence for the effects and no one wizard has the knowledge to cater to their needs!"

"Start off with a few creatures, then branch out. We live in Wales. We have a forest, open fields, a mountain range at our doorstep. We can utilize that. Start our own apothecary-. The options are endless."

"It's going to take a lot of enterprise." Sirius hesitated.

"Start with a few endangered dragons. See what their natural habitat demands. Their ideal eco-system. Lizards, reptiles, serpents. Eagles, hawks, owls."

"A few endangered dragons" Lupin sniggered.

Gienah glared at him.

"Recruit Hagrid and Charlie this summer and start the conversation." Gienah prodded on.

"Fine!" Sirius sighed. "You should have been a Slytherin you devious little snake."

"I love you too" Gienah said sweetly, doing a little dance. They had been sitting in the kitchen 'helping' Lupin cook. Harry was making hand crafted chocolates thinking how they'd live on the edge of a magical safari. Next thing she'd be advocating Giants rights.

"It's going to cost a hell of a lot of money" grumbled Sirius. "Right, I'm hiring a finance manager. We need investors." Sirius began writing a dozen letters to important people in the ministry, Charlie Weasley and Hagrid.

"I have such talented fathers" Gienah smiled contentedly.

"Suddenly my project is looking pretty tame." Lupin winked at Sirius who made a rude hand gesture. "Well, you wanted a bit of danger."

Sirius just kept on scrawling and in half an hour stated he was going to the library to collect books on magical creatures and eco systems. Gienah suggested he set up a meeting with a muggle zoo to take a blueprint of what it took to run a safari. Sirius kissed her on the cheek and asked her to start a list. Gienah swelled with pride and appointed herself junior secretary.

The next month Harry and Gienah were fast becoming knowledgeable in magical creatures and their habitats. They planned several expeditions to countries which had reserves for specific magical creatures. Hagrid had moved in permanently for the summer and joined them in the literature. Lupin and Xeno helped Hagrid build a hut by the woods much like the one back in Hogwarts. He was chuffed to be so near Ethalinda. Charlie visited regularly. He was in charge of evaluating the land surrounding them. Sirius had already purchased the woods and the land surrounding them for a hefty price from the local council. Lupin suspected a few persuasion charms involved as Sirius returned with the ownership certificates with a mischievous smile on his face.

Sirius had already brought a herd of endangered Icelandic unicorns and set their wards around the highest mountain. They didn't require much tending. Gienah would go see to them once a week to make sure their food supplies were sufficient and pick up any stray feathers. Sirius's financial manager was a god. A friend of Bill's at Gringott's who was getting bored of accounting. The goblin Proudfoot was a ruthless creature. In a month he'd managed to bring in a dozen investor's. They pitched to Charlie, Hagrid, Sirius and Gienah and in the end they'd selected three to start their project. Black barely slept. He was hiring right left and centre to tend to the creatures that were coming in from all over the world. Finally he took Lupin's advice and hired a woman for Human Resources. A mile off they'd had to build apartments for the live in staff. Due to council restrictions they couldn't build flats so it ended up resembling a small village of houses with shared facilities at the centre.

By the end of the summer their Magical Safari was plastered over a single paper, with an exclusive piece in the Quibbler. The initiative was the largest in the wizarding world since Quidditch. They were recruiting staff from all over the globe. Specialists in hippogriff's, thestrals, owls, snakes, unicorns… They had to hire a few academics to conduct research on ecosystems, dietary needs and psychological demands. They also planned to hold classes in the lecturing theatre at the reserve for the staff. By December that year Sirius had thirty full time staff and 27 different species living on the safari. Sirius didn't know how he'd managed it. The small town of Cupar was soon attracting a small wizarding population in the form of the families of his staff workers, buying out the muggle property which was ideal for the ministry regulation.

"Gienah!" Hermione came running into the kitchen and hugged her friend from behind as her hands were otherwise occupied, elbow deep in pastry dough. They were hosting a dinner party in the garden that evening for a celebratory dinner for the executive staff. There would be around fifty people in attendance and Lupin had refused to allow a catering company to see to their needs. He was regretting it a little now but Gienah was confident they would pull if off.

"I can not believe your father's pulled this off!" Hermione was reading the safari manifesto. It was a leaflet of sorts that explained the aim of the endeavour with photos of the various creatures that were benefitting.

"It has been the most intense summer Hermione" Gienah stepped back and put a hand to her dough encrusted apron. "I've aged ten years! The number of meetings! And then the amount of trekking Harry and I have done in a hundred mile radius. I am familiar with every pond, every bloody tree every crawling thing in this part of Wales."

"The beginning is always the toughest" Hermione sympathised. "What are you making?"

"Dessert. Ten chocolate and fruit tarts accompanied with a white vanilla custard."

"How can I help?"

"Ah, Hermione. You are a sight for sore eyes. Luna and Ginny are in the dining room separating a few dozen eggs." Lupin strolled in with a large pan filled with chocolate. "I'm going to have to melt this outside."

Sirius was outside with Xeno setting up an open marquee. They were moving in round tables and dozens of chairs. Sirius was topless in the sweltering heat. Gienah was wearing a string dress under her apron, her hair tied back into a knot.

Harry came through the garden and asked Gienah what the flower arrangements were. Ron followed him, his face obscured by the roses. He was grumbling at his blistering thumbs from picking the thorned roses.

Lupin beat his pot with a wooden spoon. Luna, Hermione, Gienah and Ginny came into the kitchen.

"Dessert is well under way. Once the tarts are in the oven we will start the preparation for the mains. We are making thirty meat dishes. Slow cooked leg of lamb accompanied with sweet potato mash and a red wine jus. Vegetarians are having a blue cheese and cherry tart accompanied with red vine tomatoes and courgette flowers. Finally the starter will be made last minute. Meat eaters are getting freshly seared scallops in a fish broth. Vegetarians are having vine leaves stuffed with rice and olives."

"Sounds delicious." Sirius swanned in, winking at Hermione who blushed furiously. Gienah frowned with distaste.

"Dad you're 33 years old!" Gienah shouted at him. "Put a shirt on."

"Hermione's not complaining." Sirius laughed as Hermione spluttered.

"Ew you are flirting with my twelve year old best friend." Gienah held the bridge of her nose.

"Team!" Lupin yelled, glaring at Sirius. "Hermione, you're preparing the lamb marinade. The instructions are here. Luna and Ginny. After the eggs, measure out the cream and then start peeling the potatoes. Gienah sweetie, finish those tarts and make a start on the custard. We'll place a cooling charm on the jugs outside. There's no room in the dining room. Then get a start on the savoury pastry. Right, chop chop." Lupin smiled widely as he looked at his little team. Sirius came by and took a photograph, capturing the stressful moment.

Sirius finished laying the table and Harry finished the table with flowers and candles. They all came and joined the force in the kitchens later and in a few hours the mains were done, ready for cooking. The starters prepared. The stuffed leaves cooked and under a stasis charm. Lupin sent them all upstairs to change for the red tie event.

"Oh Ginny you look like a dragon flower!" Gienah twirled the little girl around. She was wearing one of her dresses. A dark green long sleeved dress with a ballerina skirt. Ginny blushed and ran off to show Luna.

"You must be so proud of him," Hermione said, putting on her earrings.

"I brought him a present" Gienah nodded and went to her drawer to pull out an oval locket. Inside was a picture of her and Harry.

"He's going to love it."

"I hope so." Gienah applied lipstick and turned to Hermione saying "Tada".

Gienah was wearing a deep red gown that was fairly modest but for the amount of back on show. Her black hair was piled on her head with pins and her lips painted a vivid scarlet.

"Your dad is going to kill you!" Hermione said, her eyes widened.

"Dad doesn't know I have this!" Laughed Gienah. "I found it in our vault."

"Lets go down and finish the scallops." Hermione called the girls from downstairs and they all headed for the kitchen. Sirius was greeting guests outside, providing them with wine. They had bottles and bottles stored in the front hall.

Gienah soon regretted the impractical long gown as she scrunched the dress in between her thighs and she plated the dishes.

"Gienah" Lupin said kindly. "Harry and Ron are going to finish up here. Go and mingle. This was your creation after all." Kissing her on the forehead he pushed her out the door.

She breathed deeply before joining her father entertaining Barty Crouch, looking bored out of his mind. Father was looking rather dapper in a muggle suit and bow tie. He saw a few women checking him out as he politely conversed with the grey haired senior.

"Ah, Gienah…" Sirius frowned and said to Crouch "If you will excuse me- What are you wearing young lady!?"

"Exactly. I am a young lady." Gienah folded her arms and looked defiantly at her father.

"Upstairs" Sirius clicked his fingers. "Change."

Grumbling she turned and walked upstairs. Looking at her wardrobe she brought out a short floral dress with a sweetheart line which bared her shoulders. Sirius had brought this one with her so he couldn't complain.

"Gienah" Charlie called her over. "This is my brother Bill."

Bill Weasley was a tall man with long hair tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing a casual shirt, black trousers, waistcoat and green dragonhide boots. He smiled at her making her knees go funny.

"Hillo-Hi" She said, cursing in her head. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." Bill said. "Charlie tells me this was your idea."

"Well, urm, yes but father brought it to reality."

"It's an exciting and profitable endeavor. You really found a gap in the market." Bill looked around. "Charlie's thinking of quitting Romania and seeing to the dragons here. Much more ethical he says."

"Yes, father is suddenly Mrs. Weasley's favourite person, she's hoping he can tempt you to working here too so she can have all her sons back in the country." Gienah laughed.

"Oh we'll see about that." Bill winked. "It'll take a special woman to have me quit curse breaking."

"You reckon you're going to follow in your father's footsteps?" Asked Charlie, sipping his wine.

"Darling" Gienah drawled. "He followed in mine."

The two boys laughed as she excused herself to join her father who was sending her save me smiles. They were not pretty. She heard a loud false bark of laughter as she approached that sounded more like a strangled seal.

"Barty old man, this is my daughter Gienah and my godson Harry." Sirius dragged Harry as he walked past.

"She looks remarkably like you, yet her eyes…"

"Yes, yes." Sirius smiled.

"I would like to thank you for making the transportation of magical creatures so much easier for us by managing our paperwork," Gienah said, saving her father's patience. "It made the process much smoother."

"Well, it was an investment that would certainly attract the right markets for trade and tourism in our country." Crouch gave her a small smile. His perfect moustache was unmoving. "I couldn't refuse."

"Barty!" A rather large man was waddling towards them. Barty turned and Gienah was released of her duty.

"Thank god!" Sirius finished his wine and took a whole bottle from the table. "One more minute and I'd have literally died of boredom."

"Drama queen" laughed Harry.

"I absolutely loathe that man." Sirius said darkly. "And with good reason Harry."

Harry looked at him curiously but he seemed lost in his own thoughts.

"Right, starters in five minutes. We best go and start the service. Gienah, put your feet up." Sirius dragged Harry and Ron to the kitchen. Gienah went to take a seat by Charlie and Hagrid. They were talking about Ethalinda and her possibility of breeding with their new import Draco. Gienah sniggered and listened on about the debate regarding crossbreeding.

The stuffed ivy and scallops came around and Gienah relaxed as she settled into the conversation and had her second glass of wine. Sirius had instructed she stayed with butterbeer but what he didn't know…

Dessert was served and Sirius stood with a glass of wine. Gienah was nervous, her father was pretty drunk.

"Thank you investors and colleagues for joining me tonight on our first celebration of all our efforts in the founding of the world's first magical safari!" Many cheers were made. "This is the promised beginning of an enterprise that is concerned with the welfare of our endangered magical species and an investment into our research of magical creatures in a safe environment."

Then he looked at Gienah and said "If we could all raise our glasses to my daughter who came up with this incredible initiative. To Gienah."

"To Gienah!" They all toasted to her and Hagrid was crying, blowing his nose on the table cloth. Charlie winked at her and she welled up too.

They waved goodbye to Ron and Ginny through the floo and fell back on the coach. Sirius and Remus were outside with Charlie, Hagrid and Xeno singing, absolutely smashed. They had laughed at first but when they saw the chaotic mess later they had sobered up but decided it could wait till tomorrow. They had tucked Luna into the guest bedroom and decided Hermione would sleep in her room for the night.

"One more week till we're back at Hogwarts." Harry groaned. "I cannot wait."

"What?" Gineah protested. "What about Ethalinda and Clover and Ivy and Draco's just arrived, all alone and-"

"Yes but there'll be a routine and no five mile treks and getting your hand bitten off or taming poisonous snakes." Harry said with a dreamy look.

"Yes but you're so good with the slithery things," said Gienah with a smile.

"Only because they can make their demands heard!" Harry complained. "The cobra's a right diva. Was Sirius serious about hatching a basilisk." Harry asked with a note of panic.

"Sirius is always Sirius." Sirius slurred from the dining room. "My son!"

"Godson" Harry corrected.

Sirius stumbled into the living room and collapsed on the sofa. Gienah swept his hair back and placed a blanket around him. "I don't know about you but I'm gonna miss these idiots. This one especially."

"I can't believe how close you and your father have gotten" Hermione said a little enviously.

"Imagine how I feel," grumbled Harry. "They are so alike. I feel like I'm intruding, playing this false son."

"Don't you ever say that. We are family. All of us." Gienah said firmly.

"When is Remus's school starting?"

"In two weeks." Harry said. "Lupin's hired Andromeda and a woman called Catherine Creevey. She's a muggle with muggle-born children so she'll be perfect for parents in the same situation."

"They have a few children enrolled already." Gienah added. "But they're all mixed ages. Lupin's a little frustrated that it's resembling a creche more than a school at the moment but the idea needs to gain momentum."

"Im going to bed girls." Harry yawned. "Night."

Gienah and Hermione stayed up a few more minutes before Hermione went up. Putting her father in his bedroom Gienah then went to see the men outside. Hagrid had fallen asleep on the table. Charlie and Lovegood were sprawled on the swing and Lupin on the floor. Sighing she levitated Lupin into his bed, then put Charlie in bed on the coach and Xeno on the armchair. There was nothing she could do about Hagrid apart from place a cushioning charm on the table. Shattered she fell in bed next to Hermione and immediately fell asleep.

Sirius Black had a nine o'clock meeting that morning with the International Cooperation office to pitch his request for the transfer of two Burmese chimera that were being mistreated in a circus. His new assistant had owled him the photographs, presentation notes, references and appropriate filing. He walked into the kitchen with only a towel around his waist, whistling as he put on a pot of coffee. He brought out a pint of milk, eggs and fresh oranges. Turning the stove on and placing a pan on the fire, he whisked the eggs with a splash of milk, salt and pepper before pouring it into the pan. He swore as he forgot the butter and quickly put in a dollop of butter and stirred the eggs. Lazily he waved his wand and sliced the oranges and magically squeezed the juice into a jug. Plating his scrambled eggs and pouring the juice he turned and let out a girly scream.

The little creature standing on the table had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. As they stared at each other, Sirius heard Lupin grumble, footsteps sounded on the stairs.

The creature slipped off the table and bowed so low that the end of its long, thin nose touched the floor. Sirius noticed that it was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase, with rips for arm- and leg-holes.

"Blimey," said Sirius with a sigh. "I haven't seen one of yous in a decade. Can't say it brings back fond memories. Wonder if Kreature's still alive and kicking.

"Sirius Black!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice. "Kreature is alive and kicking sir! He is serving his dead mistress in the Noble House of Black."

"Mm, I could do with a house-elf now you mention it." Sirius wondered as he swallowed his eggs. "Remus my old man!"

"What?" Remus yawned. "Not enough you had to wake me."

"You've got to refurbish that school of yours" Sirius pointed out, pouring him a coffee. Lupin entered the kitchen and stared at the house elf. "Yes, we have a visitor."

"It's 8 o'clock in the morning." Lupin said scandalized. He was wearing a robe over his bare chest and boxers.

"Don't mind him, he's not a morning person." Sirius smiled at the elf, handing Lupin a coffee. "What can we do for you- ur-"

"Dobby, sir!" Bowed Dobby once more. "Dobby is wanting warn Harry Potter, sir. Dobby comes to tell Harry Potter's godfather that he is not to come to Hogwarts this year!"

"What?" Sirius spat out his orange juice. "Harry!"

"Just wait a moment Dobby." Lupin sat down rubbing the back of his head. "What's the danger in Hogwarts?"

"Harry!" Sirius yelled again. "Get your puny arse down here!"

"Dobby can not tell, his master has forbid him…" Dobby looked around nervously before beating his head on the table.

Lupin grabbed him and sat him on a chair. "There'll be none of that Dobby."

"He's barmier than Kreacher" muttered Sirius. "HARRY!"

Gienah walked in with her nightie on, half her hair flat the other half resembling a bird's nest. "My last day of sleeping in and you wake me up before noon" Grumbled Gienah going to sit on Lupin's lap and taking his coffee. "Is that a new import?" Gienah said excitedly.

"Dobby is just visiting." Lupin yawned, taking back his coffee.

"Dad" Gienah smiled sweetly. "May I have a coffee?"

Sirius poured her a coffee.

"And scrambled egg- on toast." Gienah smiled hopefully.

"Anyone would think you were the one with the 9AM meeting." Sirius sighed, getting out a few more eggs.

Finally Harry came in, his hair looking worst than Gienah's.

"So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir ... Such an honor it is . . . ." Dobby had stood up and bowed so deeply this time his ears touched the carpet.

"Th-thank you," said Harry, once he'd collected his composure. He wanted to ask, "What are you?" but thought it would sound too rude, so instead he said, "Who are you?"

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," said the creature.

"Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," said Harry quickly, "but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?"

"Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir ... it is difficult, sir ... Dobby wonders where to begin . . . ."

"Sit down," said Harry politely, pointing at the chair.

To his horror, the elf burst into tears.

"S-sit down!" he wailed. "Never ... never ever. . . "

"I'm sorry," Harry looked at Gienah for help, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything -"

"Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard - like an equal-"

Harry, trying to say "Shh!" and look comforting at the same time, ushered Dobby back onto the chair where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his great eyes fixed on Harry in an expression of watery adoration.

"You can't have met many decent wizards," said Harry, trying to cheer him up.

Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the table, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

"Don't - what are you doing?" Harry said, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the chair.

"Dobby had to punish himself, sir," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir . . . ."

"Your family?"

"The wizard family Dobby serves, sir... Dobby is a house elf - bound to serve one house and one family forever . ...

"Do they know you're here?" asked Gienah curiously.

Dobby shuddered.

"Oh, no, miss, no ... Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir _"

"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?"

"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They let's Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments ...

"But why don't you leave? Escape?"

"A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free ... Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir . . . ."

Harry stared.

"This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?"

Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude. "Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby ... Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew . ...

"Blimey Harry" Gienah snorted. "Excuse me for treating you like a mere commoner."

Harry, who was feeling distinctly hot in the face, said, "Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts; that's Gienah, she -"

"Harry Potter is humble and modest," said Dobby reverently, his orb- like eyes aglow. "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He-Who- Must-Not-Be-Named -"

"Voldemort?" said Harry.

Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned, "Ah, speak not the name, sir! Speak not the name!"

"Sorry" said Harry quickly.

Dobby leaned toward Harry, his eyes wide as headlights.

'Dobby heard tell," he said hoarsely, "that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time just weeks ago ... that Harry Potter escaped Yet again. "

Harry nodded and Dobby's eyes suddenly shone with tears.

Ah, sir," he gasped, dabbing his face with a corner of the grubby pillowcase he was wearing. "Harry Potter is valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later... Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts."

There was a silence as all four wizards looked at Dobby.

"W-what?" Harry stammered. "But I've got to go back - term starts tomorrow."

"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."

"Why?" said Harry in surprise.

"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!"

"What terrible things?" said Harry at once. "Who's plotting them?"

Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall.

"All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning me? Hang on - this hasn't got anything to do with Vol- - sorry - with You-Know-Who, has it?

You could just shake or nod," he added hastily as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to the wall again.

Slowly, Dobby shook his head.

"Not -not He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, sir -'

But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Harry a hint.

"He hasn't got a brother, has he?"

Dobby shook his head, his eyes wider than ever.

"A free death eater?" Sirius said, now seated and looking with concern in his eyes.

Dobby bowed his head.

"Who is your master Dobby?" Sirius looked at him intently.

"Dobby can not- Dobby-" Dobby panicked. "Dobby is being summoned. Heed my advice Lord Black. Harry Potter must not return to Hogwarts". With a click of his fingers, and a large CRACK, Dobby had apparated.

"Well, you heard him." Sirius said. "You can be taught by Remus in the new school. We'll get you private-"

"No way!" Harry shouted heatedly.

"Sirius." Lupin sighed. "He's got to go back. Be reasonable."

"I'm not losing him again." Sirius growled. "You and all Gienah."

Gienah laughed. "Excuse me?"

"None of your attitude, I have a meeting in twenty minutes." Sirius swore under his breath.

"Your robes are laid out on the sofa" Gienah glared at him. Sirius swooped down to give her a kiss, pat Harry's shoulder and went to the living room.

"He's not being serious." Gienah looked at Lupin.

"He's just being overprotective." Lupin reassured her. "Both of you get packing. We're having a dinner tonight. Luna and her father are coming. I'm going to have to go the school today so if you want to come with me be packed and dressed by ten."

"I think I'll help Charlie with the dragons today." Gienah yawned. "It's my last day with Ethalinda."

"I'll come with you Remus." Harry buttered the toast and threw one to Gienah.

"Morning buttercup" Charlie was already at the dragon reserve. He was clipping her claws while Ethelinda slept. "Mind feeding Draco?"

Gienah stroked the green beast who thrashed his tail impatiently as she brought a large bottle of milk to his mouth. His mother had been killed for spare parts and most of his siblings squashed as they captured the mother. It was a sad tale.

Gienah had been teaching the young dragon to fly After feeding him they flew to the mountains on a ledge a few metres from the ground. Gienah would push him and swoop down, making sure to catch him in case he fell.

Draco was on his twelfth try when a harpoon shot across the sky and punctured Draco's wing. He let out a terrible howl, struggling but unable to set himself free. Gienah roared and flew down and captured him with her claws. Setting him down she transformed and vanished the harpoon. Emerald blood fell from the deep puncture. Transforming again she sought the predator. A man on a broomstick aimed again but she swerved and released a stream of fire. The man dove to escape but his broom was singed, he was losing height. She swooped after him and captured him with his claws. The broomstick fell and she flew to the reserve and dropped him by Charlie's cabin. Then she flew back to Draco, gently held him by her claws and took him back to the reserve. She transformed and screamed for Charlie.

"Charlie!" Gienah was crying as she waved her wand but the injury kept unravelling. Charlie came running from the woods and knelt by the small dragon.

"Gienah, in the cabin's a first aid box." Charlie ordered her. Wiping her tears she ran and found the first aid box on the wall and returned to see his wounds were less deep. Charlie retrieved a small tub of paste and spread it across the injury. The dragon whimpered in pain. "Hold on Draco" Charlie stroked his back as he wrapped the wing in a bandage.

"What happened?" Charlie asked Gienah.

"Poachers" Gienah grabbed his hand and took him to the side of the cabin. The man was unconscious, and badly injured. "He shot a harpoon into his wing but Draco injured him and I brought him here." She said quickly.

"That's the third this month." Charlie sighed. "We need to get security tightened. Wards aren't doing enough."

"How did they do it in Romania?" Gienah asked as they walked back to the camp.

"Twelve guards, 24/7 but I doubt we'll need that many. Six maybe." Charlie said as he went into the canteen and found a few wizards having an early lunch. "Aku, we have an injured dragon and unconscious poacher in reserve 3." The mediwitch stood up and hurried out.

"What's this?" called a dark haired wizard. Charlie brought a coffee from the vending machine and sat opposite him.

"Another poacher." Charlie looked at the wizard darkly. "Sirius needs to get a move on with security."

"I've been telling him for a week but he's been set on the chimeras". The wizard looked at Gienah. "What is the point of more creatures when they're likely to be killed on our turf?"

"Yeah well once he gets the approvals I'm sure he'll make it his priority." Charlie appeased him. "Towler, this is Gienah."

"Black's daughter." Towler nodded. "No need to tell me, you look just like him."

Gienah blushed, used to this comparison.

"Aaron used to work for the Magical Menagerie" Charlie said.

"It was pretty tame." Towler explained. "When I got the job offer I jumped at the chance."

"The licence came through" Sirius declared to the canteen holding the paperwork in his hands. "Charlie we've got our portkey for eleven tomorrow morning."

"Woop!" Charlie hi fived Gienah. "Never been to Burma."

"We're staying two nights so we can have a survey of the mountains, collect data on the habitat etc."

"Great" Aaron rolled his eyes. "I suggest you HR on recruiting security. Another poacher attack. Aku's gone to tend the dragon injured. Reserve two."

Sirius swore and ran out of the canteen.

"Looking forward to school?" Charlie asked her.

"I'm going to miss Ethal and tending the creatures here but as much as I'm learning I miss potions and herbology and even history of magic."

"You stay awake during those lessons?" Charlie looked impressed.

"If you do the readings beforehand you manage to follow through," nodded Gienah. "And I got first in my exams and Hermione's been studying all summer to make sure it doesn't happen again AND quidditch. I miss the gruelling practices. But the trekking arounds helped my fitness so it shouldn't be too much of a shock."

"First, eh?" Charles nodded his head. "Do us a favour, make sure Ron's not lagging behind."

"Yeah sure." Laughed Gienah.

"Right, lets see to those winged horses." Charlie finished his coffee and grabbed two broomsticks. Gienah jumped on and flew after him.

Gienah finished off at the reserve at four and came back for a nap. Those horses were fickle. Harry shook her awake and said Lupin needed help in the kitchen. Gienah splashed her face with water and entered the kitchen.

"Yes chef!" She saluted her dad with a cheeky wink.

"Alright, alright. I know I get carried away but it's the last time I get to feed you for a few months." Lupin explained. "We're making couscous stuffed peppers, a tomato and aubergine paella and chocolate puddings with raspberry sorbet. Gienah get a start on the puddings. Harry chop the tomatoes, aubergines and onions."

Gienah and Harry put on their aprons, put on the radio and got on with it. "We need a bigger dining room." Gienah told Lupin for the hundredth time.

"Xeno suggested we open up the kitchen and the dining room to create an open space." Lupin said as he tasted the paella paste.

"It could work" Gienah said thoughtfully, breaking chocolate pieces into the bain-marie.

"I think we can squeeze all of us in the dining room." Harry added. "There's- four- two, six of us."

"I'm home!" Sirius called from the garden. "The poachers been arrested. Draco's healing nicely. And Megan is getting on hiring us from security and did Gienah tell you about the chimeras?"

"He's going to burma tomorrow and missing our train" sulked Gienah.

"Now, now, I'll kiss you goodbye before I leave." Sirius popped a piece of chocolate in his mouth. "Luna and Xeno tonight is it?"

"Yup." Lupin said. "Go get changed."

"Aye captain." Sirius marched out.

A.N. Struggling to edit this one...


	8. Flying to Hogwarts

Chapter Twelve: Flying to Hogwarts

Lupin bid them goodbye outside the station, they were running late so it was a hurried goodbye. They sprinted with their trunks. Hermes was flying behind her. They must've looked a sight. As they ran, a third boy joined their run down Platforms 9 and 10.

"Gienah, Harry" Ron panted, he was the tallest and his limbs reached the wall first, followed by Harry then Gienah and finally Hermes except all four hit a solid wall. Hermes slid down the wall, knocked unconscious. Ron's nose was bleeding, a lumb was developing on Harry's head but Gienah had been cushioned by the two boys and had only scratched her knee where she fell.

"But we have 10 seconds!" Ron slammed the wall.

"3, 2, 1" Gienah counted down looking at her watch glumly.

"How are mum and dad gonna get out?" Ron said.

"Why are you late if your parents are through there?" Harry asked.

"I left scabbers in the-" Ron stopped and smiled widely. "The car!"

"What are you talking about Ronald?" Gienah said sounding very Hermione-ish.

"That's creepy." Harry looked at her. Gienah shrugged.

"We can fly to Hogwarts in the car."

"Your car flies?" Harry asked. "Wicked!"

The two boys sauntered off. Gienah sighed deeply and picked Hermes up in her arms. Shaking her head she followed the boys. A flying car did sound pretty cool and Sirius had once had a flying motorbike. And she was her father's daughter.

"Check that no one's watching," said Ron, starting the ignition with another tap of his wand. Harry stuck his head out of the window: Traffic was rumbling along the main road ahead, but their street was empty.

"Okay," he said.

Ron pressed a tiny silver button on the dashboard. The car around them vanished - and so did they. Gienah could feel the seat vibrating beneath her, hear the engine, feel her hands on her knee, but for all she could see, she had become a pair of eyeballs, floating a few feet above the ground in a dingy street full of parked cars.

"Let's go," said Ron's voice from in front of her.

And the ground and the dirty buildings on either side fell away, dropping out of sight as the car rose; in seconds, the whole of London lay, smoky and glittering, below them.

Then there was a popping noise and the car, Gienah, Harry, and Ron reappeared.

"Uh-oh," said Ron, jabbing at the Invisibility Booster. "It's faulty -"

Both of them pummeled it. The car vanished. Then it flickered back again.

"Hold on!" Ron yelled, and he slammed his foot on the accelerator; they shot straight into the low, woolly clouds and everything turned dull and foggy.

"Now what?" said Harry, blinking at the solid mass of cloud pressing in on them from all sides.

"We need to see the train to know what direction to go in," said Ron.

"Dip back down again - quickly -"

They dropped back beneath the clouds and twisted around in their seats, squinting at the ground.

"I can see it!" Gienah yelled. "Right ahead - there!"

The Hogwarts Express was streaking along below them like a scarlet snake.

"Due north," said Ron, checking the compass on the dashboard. "Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so - hold on

And they shot up through the clouds. A minute later, they burst out into a blaze of sunlight.

It was a different world. The wheels of the car skimmed the sea of fluffy cloud, the sky a bright, endless blue under the blinding white sun.

"All we've got to worry about now are airplanes," said Ron.

They looked at each other and started to laugh; for a long time, they couldn't stop. It was as though they had been plunged into a fabulous dream. This, thought Gienah, was surely the only way to travel - past swirls and turrets of snowy cloud, in a car full of hot, bright sunlight, with a fat pack of toffees in the glove compartment, and the prospect of seeing Fred's and George's jealous faces when they landed smoothly and spectacularly on the sweeping lawn in front of Hogwarts castle.

They made regular checks on the train as they flew farther and farther north, each dip beneath the clouds showing them a different view. London was soon far behind them, replaced by neat green fields that gave way in turn to wide, purplish moors, a great city alive with cars like multicolored ants, villages with tiny toy churches.

Several uneventful hours later, however, Gienah had to admit that some of the fun was wearing off. The toffees had made them extremely thirsty and they had nothing to drink. Gienah had taken off her cardigan and opened the car door, dangling her feet in the limp breeze. She had stopped noticing the fantastic cloud shapes now and was thinking longingly of the train miles below, where you could buy ice-cold pumpkin juice from a trolley pushed by a plump witch. Why hadn't they been able to get onto platform nine and three-quarters?

"Can't be much further, can it?" croaked Ron, hours later still, as the sun started to sink into their floor of cloud, staining it a deep pink. "Ready for another check on the train?"

It was still right below them, winding its way past a snowcapped mountain. It was much darker beneath the canopy of clouds.

Ron put his foot on the accelerator and drove them upward again, but as he did so, the engine began to whine.

Gienah held Hermes closer to her. Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances.

"It's probably just tired," said Ron. "It's never been this far before ...

And they pretended not to notice the whining growing louder and louder as the sky became steadily darker. Stars were blossoming in the blackness. Harry pulled his sweater back on, trying to ignore the way the windshield wipers were now waving feebly, as though in protest. "Not far," said Ron, more to the car than to Harry, "not far now," and he patted the dashboard nervously. When they flew back beneath the clouds a little while later, they had to squint through the darkness for a landmark they knew. "There!" Harry shouted, making Gienah, Ron and Hedwig jump. "Straight ahead!"

Silhouetted on the dark horizon, high on the cliff over the lake, stood the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts castle. But the car had begun to shudder and was losing speed. "Come on," Ron said cajolingly, giving the steering wheel a little shake, "nearly there, come on -" The engine groaned. Narrow jets of steam were issuing from under the hood. Gienah found himself gripping the edges of her seat very hard as they flew toward the lake. The car gave a nasty wobble. Glancing out of his window, Gienah saw the smooth, black, glassy surface of the water, a mile below. Ron's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. The car wobbled again. "Come on," Ron muttered. They were over the lake - the castle was right ahead - Ron put his foot down. There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely.

"Uh-oh," said Ron, into the silence.

The nose of the car dropped. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid castle wall.

"Noooooo!" Ron yelled, swinging the steering wheel around; they missed the dark stone wall by inches as the car turned in a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns, losing altitude all the time.

Ron let go of the steering wheel completely and pulled his wand out of his back pocket

"STOP! STOP!" he yelled, whacking the dashboard and the windshield, but they were still plummeting, the ground flying up toward them

"WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Harry bellowed, lunging for the steering wheel, but too late.

CRUNCH.

With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, they hit the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Steam was billowing from under the crumpled hood; Hedwig was shrieking in terror; a golfball-size lump was throbbing on Harry's head where he had hit the windshield; and to his right, Ron let out a low, despairing groan. Gienah was hanging onto the door frame with Hermes in one arm, her legs hanging in the air.

"Are you okay?" Harry said urgently.

"HARRY!" Gienah shrieked as she felt her grip slackening. Harry turned and held onto her wrist and dragged her back in.

"My wand," said Ron, in a shaky voice. "Look at my wand -" It had snapped, almost in two; the tip was dangling limply, held on by a few splinters.

Harry opened his mouth to say he was sure they'd be able to mend it up at the school, but he never even got started. At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a charging bull, sending him lurching sideways into Ron, just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof.

"What's happen -?"

Gienah rolled her eyes. How was this happening? They first missed the train despite making it just on time, then they fly a car all the way to Scotland probably breaking a dozen laws and now they had landed on the only tree to hit them back. Hermes was stirring.

"Alright baby, I need you to fly down away from the tree. That's a few feet. Barely anything. Think you can manage?" She held the owl up to her eyeline. The owl nodded, blinking its amber eyes. Gently she pushed him out the window and though he fell at first he dragged himself up and managed to duck a threatening branch that was now coming after her. Closing her eyes she turned into a raven and squawked as the branch missed her by a millimeter.

"Gienah?" Harry looked around just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs were pummeling every inch of the car it could reach.

"Aaargh!" said Ron as another twisted limb punched a large dent into his door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a battering ram was pounding furiously on the roof, which seemed to be caving

"Run for it!" Ron shouted, throwing his full weight against his door, but next second he had been knocked backward into Harry's lap by a vicious uppercut from another branch.

"We're done for!" he moaned as the ceiling sagged, but suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating - the engine had restarted.

"Reverse!" Harry yelled, and the car shot backward; the tree was still trying to hit them; they could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach.

"That," panted Ron, "was close. Well done, car -"

The car, however, had reached the end of its tether. With two sharp clunks, the doors flew open and their seat tip sideways: Next thing she knew they boys were sprawled on the damp ground. The car was ejecting their luggage from the trunk; Hedwig's cage flew through the air and burst open; she rose out of it with an angry screech and sped off toward the castle without a backward look. Then, dented, scratched, and steaming, the car rumbled off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily.

"Come back!" Ron yelled after it, brandishing his broken wand. "Dad'll kill me!"

But the car disappeared from view with one last snort from its exhaust.

"Can you believe our luck?" said Ron miserably, bending down to pick up Scabbers.

"At least we get to make an entrance." Gienah sighed, stroking Hermes.

Ron glanced over his shoulder at the ancient tree, which was still flailing its branches threateningly.

"Come on," said Harry wearily, "we'd better get up to the school ...

"I'm going to Hagrid" Gienah said. "Go ahead. Hermes injured his wing."

Just when she arrived she realized Hagrid would most likely be at the feast. Opening the door she saw Fang stirring in his bed by the door. He ran to greet her, wagging his tail and licking her hand. "That a boy!" Gienah pet his smooth black head and scratched him behind his ear. Knowing he'd be some time she decided to place Hermes on a blanket on the table alongside a bowl of water. She took her uniform out of the trunk and changed, looked in the mirror and tied up her hair.

"I'll be back" Gienah promised and dragged her trunk toward the great oak front doors. Gienah peered inside one window to see if she'd missed the sorting. Innumerable candles were hovering in midair over four long, crowded tables, making the golden plates and goblets sparkle. Overhead, the bewitched ceiling, which always mirrored the sky outside, sparkled with stars. Through the forest of pointed black Hogwarts hats, Gienah saw a long line of scared-looking first years fiIing into the Hall. Ginny and Luna was among them, easily visible because of her vivid Weasley hair. Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall, a bespectacled witch with her hair in a tight bun, was placing the famous Hogwarts Sorting Hat on a stool before the newcomers.

Gienah decided to drop her trunk off first. She placed a feather light charm on the trunk and ran up to the tower. Realizing she didn't know the password she pleaded with the fat lady. Giving up she placed a disillusionment charm on the trunk and hid it by the wall. Running back she arrived outside the hall in a record five minutes. Catching her breath she closed her eyes, transformed into a cat and entered unseen. Hermione was sitting by Neville looking frantically around. Gienah went to the empty seat beside her and transformed under the table.

"Hello!" Gienah said fixing her hair and looking nervously at the staff table. "Where's Ron and Harry?"

Hermione screamed. Fully screamed. The whole hall began to turn when Gienah clapped her hand over her mouth. "Merlin Hermione!" Gienah huffed with wide eyes. "You don't half make a scene!"

"Don't tell me you actually flew dad's car over here?" Fred whispered in her ear. Gienah blushed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She smiled innocently. "Where's Harry and Ron?"

Then she saw Snape was missing from the staff table. Great.

"I looked for you everywhere!" Hermione said heatedly. "Where were you?"

"On the train darling" Gienah rearranged her ponytail and reached forward to help herself to a serving of spinach and ricotta filo and mashed potato. "This looks good."

"You're not telling me something." Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"I wouldn't worry your pretty little head too much", Gienah smiled. "Your efforts may be best directed at beating my scores. I can't guarantee you can place first but do try. Otherwise it's just not much fun." Sipping her juice she patted Hermione's cheek. Her chin had dropped and her ears were positively burning. She now knew why Ron made such an effort to tease Hermione. It was so much fun. She turned to Fred and asked them about quidditch.

After her second helping of dessert, she had missed lunch after all, they all headed to the common room, appropriately stuffed.

Hermione ran forward and she heard her sigh with relief."There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumors - someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car-"

"Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured her. Gienah waved her hand and winked at Ron who was looking at her agape.

"You're not telling me you did fly here?" said Hermione, sounding almost as severe as Professor McGonagall.

"Gienah?" Ron hissed.

Gienah just shook her head, looking at Hermione. Ron nodded.

"Skip the lecture," said Ron impatiently, "and tell us the new password."

"It's `wattlebird,"' said Hermione impatiently, "but that's not the point - "

Her words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull Harry and Ron inside, leaving Hermione to scramble in after then-t.

"Brilliant!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years -"

"Good for you," said a fifth year Harry had never spoken to; someone was patting him on the back as though he'd just won a marathon; George pushed his way to the front of the crowd and said, "Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?"

Ron was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassedly. Gienah just collapsed into a sofa only to be joined by Fred a moment later. "I reckon flying a car into the Whomping Willow and then escaping a run in with Snape is truly devious Ms. Black".

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Gienah sniffed shuffling the pack of cards in front of her. "Blackjack?"

Fred sucked in some air and shook his head at her before grabbing the deck and dealing the cards. Soon George, Harry and Ron joined them and they got back into the daily patterns of life in Hogwarts.

* * *

The next day Gienah woke up early, earlier than even Hermione, after a shower and a quick drying spell she stared at the mirror. She had always grown up feeling somewhat fractured. Incomplete. Lupin always gave her love like he was compensating for her mother's rejection. Now she had two parents who spoiled her rotten with love and a protective little brother. Both her fathers were pursuing worthy careers and she suddenly felt displaced again. She wanted to live, be reckless, fall in love, face danger. Her body was starved for a little adventure. Reading no longer sated her hunger. Something would have to change. She plaited her hair back. What she needed was a project. Harry had his set up for him. He was the boy who lived. She would have to forge her own path. And to do that she had to become a powerful witch. She already had her talents in shapeshifting but her skills as a witch needed refining. She was yet to perfect wandless magic, hold her own in a duel and lacked psychological prowess. The ability to delve into minds, know what their heart desire and their souls fear. Gienah shook her head and decided before she conquered the world she had homework to get on top of. Gienah laughed hopelessly. She was sure Morgana hadn't had to think about becoming the most renowned sorceress in history. In my stars I am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.

After two hours in the library she closed her books with a content smile on her face. She was going to get Snape's attention this year, even if it killed her. Potions, Herbology and Defence against the Dark Arts. In these subjects she will attempt to go above and beyond. She wasn't sure why these subjects took precedence. Only that history was invaluable. Potions was fascinating, the potency was far stronger than any spell. She was less interested in defence than dark arts. The dark arts went beyond the usual realms of magic. It was the danger of it's greatness that made the dark arts a thing of fear.

Hermione had her copy of Voyages with Vampires propped open against a milk jug. As she sat next to her the witch teared her eyes away from her book.

"Where were you this morning?" Hermione looked at her suspiciously.

"Library" she said, spooning porridge into her bowl and sprinkling with summer berries and sunflower seeds. Harry and Ron dropped their forks.

Hermione raised her eyebrow and smirked. "Game on Black." Taking a toast in her mouth she hurried out of the Great Hall.

"Why?" Ron said to her weakley. "Gen, she's fanatic as it is. Must you encourage her. And it's the first day back! Don't you see you make us look bad. You raise the bar."

"Gen" Harry agreed. "Live a little."

"Oh I plan to." She sipped her coffee winking at her two bewildered boys.

"Gen, your course schedule." Neville handed the piece of paper to her with a shy smile. She smiled back uneasily. She suspected he had developed a crush on her but she put it to one side as she saw Herbology was first. They left the castle together, crossed the vegetable patch, and made for the greenhouses, where the magical plants were kept.

Professor Sprout came striding into view across the lawn, accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart. Professor Sprout's arms were full of bandages, Gienah spotted the Whomping Willow in the distance, several of its branches now in slings.

Professor Sprout was a squat little witch who wore a patched hat over her flyaway hair; there was usually a large amount of earth on her clothes and her fingernails would have made Aunt Petunia faint. Gilderoy Lockhart, however, was immaculate in sweeping robes of turquoise, his golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise hat with gold trimming.

"Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming around at the assembled students. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels . . ."

"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who was looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all her usual cheerful self.

There was a murmur of interest. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before - greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Gienah caught a whiff of damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella- sized flowers dangling from the ceiling.

Once inside she heard Lockhart calling for Harry.

"I've been wanting a word - you don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?"

Judging by Professor Sprout's scowl, she did mind, but Lockhart said, "That's the ticket," and closed the greenhouse door in her face.

"What do you think he wants with Harry?" Ron whispered to Gienah and Hermione.

"That ponce?" Gienah laughed. "Isn't it obvious? Lockhart is fame hungry, no doubt trying to get the boy who lived on his side."

"Lockhart is not a ponce" said Hermione hotly.

"Have you read his books?" Gienah scoffed.

"Yes, he's extremely talented dark creature slayer." Hermione said, her cheeks a little warm.

"I never thought I'd see the day." Gienah winked at her cheekily.

"You fancy him?" Ron scrunched up his face with distaste.

"Attention!" Professor Sprout was standing behind a trestle bench in the center of the greenhouse. About twenty pairs of different-colored ear muffs were lying on the bench.

"We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" To nobody's surprise, Hermione's hand was first into the air.

"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," said Hermione, a faint flush still tainting her cheeks, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

Gienah sniggered as Harry snuck in looking extremely peeved.

"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

Hermione's hand narrowly missed Harry's glasses as it shot up again.

"The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," she said promptly.

"Precisely. Take another ten points," said Professor Sprout. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young."

She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look. A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish green in color, were growing there in rows. They looked quite unremarkable to Ron and Harry, who didn't have the slightest idea what Hermione meant by the "cry" of the Mandrake.

"Everyone take a pair of earmuffs," said Professor Sprout.

There was a scramble as everyone tried to seize a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy.

"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered," said Professor Sprout. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right - earmuffs on."

Gienah snapped the earmuffs over his ears. They shut out sound completely. Professor Sprout put the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard.

Gienah let out a gasp of surprise that no one could hear.

By the end of the class, Gienah, like everyone else, was sweaty, aching, and covered in lesson went surprisingly well. Though she had little interest in caring for the plants themselves, preferring magical creatures, the plants had properties that were crucial in potions. If she was to master potions she had to brush up her knowledge on Herbology.

As they walked back to the castle they were joined by a curly-haired Hufflepuff boy Gienah knew by sight but had never spoken to.

"Justin Finch-Fletchley," he said brightly, shaking Harry by the hand. "Know who you are, of course, the famous Harry Potter... And you're Hermione Granger - always top in everything".

Hermione looked at Gienah guiltily. Gienah only smirked. She enjoyed the fact that apart from the four of them, no one knew Gienah took first spot in the year.

"That Lockhart's something, isn't he?" said Justin happily. "Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? I'd have died of fear if I'd been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf, but he stayed cool and - zap - just fantastic."

"Am I only the one that noticed Lockhart's books read like fiction?" said Gienah with exasperation as Justin headed to his dorm for a quick wash. The Gryffindors only had time for a hasty scourgify as they hurried to Transfiguration.

Professor McGonagall's class was a piece of cake. Hermione and Gienah had turned their beetles into buttons in the first attempt then went on to make the most decorative buttons. Once bored of their buttons Hermione returned to her book and Gienah thought about how she doubted Morgana spent her early years transfiguring animals into clothing items. This was hardly going to help her in a crisis.

Lunch was most welcome. Gienah looked at Ron fondly as he grumbled about his useless wand. It wasn't that it had stopped working but that in made anything he tried to do ten times worse.

"Just ask your mum for a new wand." Hermione said as if was the simplest thing in the world.

"Oh please do!" Gienah laughed. "I need a good laugh to wake me up in the morning."

"What've we got this afternoon?" said Harry, hastily changing the subject.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione at once.

"Why, "demanded Ron, seizing her schedule, "have you outlined all Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?"

Hermione snatched the schedule back, blushing furiously. They finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in Voyages with Vampires again.

"You, ur, gonna try out for the team then mate?" Ron said in a ever so casual voice.

"Yeah, Gienah's been helping me practice. Turns out I'm a natural seeker but I doubt I'll get her position so I'm gonna go for chaser."

"You never know." Gienah said seriously. "Never assume a position is safe."

"Except you caught every snitch last year and got Gryffindor the cup for the first time since Charlie." Ron pointed out with a touch of envy. "I'm best at keeping so thats a lost cause."

"Must you be so negative, Ronald?" Gienah teased him. "Reserves are a good place to start."

"Mind I join you for practice?" Ron looked at her hopefully.

"All you have to do is ask Ronnikins."

As Gienah and Ron stood talking about Quidditch Harry became aware that he was being closely watched. Looking up, he saw the very small, mousy-haired boy staring at Harry as though transfixed. He was clutching what looked like an ordinary Muggle camera, and the moment Harry looked at him, he went bright red.

"All right, Harry? I'm -I'm Colin Creevey," he said breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward. "I'm in Gryffindor, too. D'you think - would it be all right if - can I have a picture?" he said, raising the camera hopefully.

"A picture?" Harry repeated blankly as Ron and Gienah sniggered.

"So I can prove I've met you," said Colin Creevey eagerly, edging further forward. "I know all about you. Everyone's told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you've still got a lightning scar on your forehead" (his eyes raked Harry's hairline) "and a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures'll move." Colin drew a great shuddering breath of excitement and said, "It's amazing here, isn't it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad's a milkman, he couldn't believe it either. So I'm taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it'd be really good if I had one of you" - he looked imploringly at Harry - "maybe your friend could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?"

"Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos, Potter?"

Loud and scathing, Draco Malfoy's voice echoed around the courtyard. He had stopped right behind Colin, flanked, as he always was at Hogwarts, by his large and thuggish cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Everyone line up!" Malfoy roared to the crowd. "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!"

As much as Gienah and Ron had found it hilarious mere moments ago, Malfoy was not welcome to the joke.

"Jealous Malfoy?" Gienah sneered. "Looking for one yourself?"

"Jealous?"said Malfoy, who didn't need to shout anymore: half the courtyard was listening in. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."

Crabbe and Goyle were sniggering stupidly.

"Eat slugs, Malfoy," said Ron angrily. Crabbe stopped laughing and started rubbing his knuckles in a menacing way.

"Be careful, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. "You don't want to start any trouble or your Mommy'll have to come and take you away from school." He put on a shrill, piercing voice. "If you put another toe out of line' - "

A knot of Slytherin fifth-years nearby laughed loudly at this.

"Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter," smirked Malfoy. "It'd be worth more than his family's whole house -"

Gienah growled, itching to claw into that porcelain skin of his. Ron whipped out his Spellotaped wand, but Hermione shut Voyages with Vampires with a snap and whispered, "Look out!"

"What's all this, what's all this?" Gilderoy Lockhart was striding toward them, his turquoise robes swirling behind him. "Who's giv ing out signed photos?" Harry started to speak but he was cut short as Lockhart flung an arm around his shoulders and thundered jovially, "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Harry!" Pinned to Lockhart's side and burning with humiliation, Harry saw Malfoy slide smirking back into the crowd.

"Come on then, Mr. Creevey," said Lockhart, beaming at Colin. "A double portrait, can't do better than that, and we'll both sign it for you." Colin fumbled for his camera and took the picture as the bell rang behind them, signaling the start of afternoon classes. "Off you go, move along there," Lockhart called to the crowd, and he set off back to the castle with Harry, who was wishing he knew a good Vanishing Spell, still clasped to his side.

Gienah felt a little sorry for her brother. It was bamboozling how he was veered as this boy who lived figure for something he had no control over. But she remembered discussing this with Lupin in her first letter to her father about Harry's fame in the wizarding word. It doesn't make sense dad! Why should an orphan be celebrated for losing his parents? I lost mine too. Looking back, she knew there was an underlying envy. But it didn't make her focal point any less redundant. Her father had replied how she could never understand, and hoped would never have to understand, the fear in those years when the dark lord grew from strength to strength. With your mother's death he was gone. It couldn't be more tragic or poetic if you'd written a fairy tale Gienah! Here was a ready made tragic hero. The boy who lived had vanquished the darkest lord of our time.

She was going to voice her thoughts but Ron was still snarling over Malfoy and was telling Hermione how one of these days he was going to teach him. Hermione just said "Yes, dear." still fixated in that bloody book. Not only was it full of fluff, there was a real derogatory tone towards the magical beings akin to wizards attitudes towards goblins. Mr. Vandeviere was a civilized and charming man, when he wasn't boring the pants off her, really- the barbaric portrayal was as preposterous as the idea of her father baiting children.

Ron and Gienah sat down on either side of Harry.

"You could've fried an egg on your face" said Ron. "You'd better hope Creevey doesn't meet Ginny, or they'll be starting a Harry Potter fan club."

"Shut up," snapped Harry. The last thing he needed was for Lockhart to hear the phrase "Harry Potter fan club." Gienah clutched her stomach as she couldn't breathe due to her laughter. Even Hermione chuckled.

"Do you know what Ginny asked me during the summer?" Gienah said when she managed to regulate her breathing.

"What?" Ron said in a now-what tone.

"Whether Harry would appreciate her poems for Valentines day."

"What did you say?" Ron said with a smile curling on the corner of his lips.

"That deep down Harry nurtured a passion for poetry." Gienah was crying with laughter. "How he considered poetry to be the food of love."

Ron and Gienah sniggered as Harry gave her daggers.

"But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, one good sonnet will starve it entirely away" Hermione sighed, looking at Lockhart with a quill poised in her fingers.

Ron looked at Harry questioningly. He shrugged as Gienah whispered "Pride and Prejudice."

When the whole class was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of Travels with Trolls, and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front.

"Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most- Charming-Smile Award - but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"

He waited for them to laugh; a few people smiled weakly. Ron and Gienah just looked at eachother with horror.

"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books -well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in -"

When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes - start - now!"

Gienah looked down at her paper and read:

1\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart 's favorite color?

2\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?

3\. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?

On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to:

20\. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?

What repulsed Gienah more was that she knew most of them having been forced to read the books to salvage any useful education out of them. Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class.

"Tut, tut - hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year with the Yeti. And a few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves more carefully - I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples - though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogdeds Old Firewhisky!"

He gave them another roguish wink. Ron was now staring at Lockhart with an expression of disbelief on his face; Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting in front, were shaking with silent laughter. Hermione, on the other hand, was listening to Lockhart with rapt attention and gave a start when he mentioned her name.

". . . but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions - good girl! In fact" - he flipped her paper over - "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"

Hermione raised a trembling hand.

"Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so - to business -"

The rest of the class was so ridiculous I won't bother recounting. The lesson proved his incompetence and convinced Gienah that he was really just a big fat fraud.

* * *

Friday night Gienah and Hermione were at their usual spots by the fire with their essays spread before them, a mug of hot cocoa by each witch and Ron and Harry playing wizarding chess their homework lying forgotten besides them having stopped to take a 'well deserving break' hours ago. Gienah didn't find the essay subjects particularly interested so she tried to see if she could offer another angle to her essays by doing some extended reading. Hermione was now reading through them with a small furrow in between her brows.

"Well?" Gienah said impatiently with a yawn.

"It's good, really good." Hermione paused. "I don't think it's what the professors are looking for though."

"Oh oh." Ron sniggered.

"How do you mean?" Gienah folded her arms.

"Well, the point of homework is to reflect on our studies and these events don't cover the subject we covered in lessons or the suggested readings. And since when have you brewed the antidote of veritaserum?" The note of disbelief offended Gienah.

"I wonder where you get this impression of me twiddling my thumbs during my free time Hermione." Gienah said coldly.

"Gen, I- It's just - Well you didn't tell me!" Hermione finally burst out with it.

"I wasn't informed that we had to share with each other every single bloody achievement."

"Gienah-" Harry said with a light warning, knowing when his sister was about to lose it. Ron shook his head.

"Regardless!" Hermione sniffed. "The antidote of veritaserum has little to do with the essay in question."

"The essay concerns itself with the significance of concentration of individual potion ingredients in achieving the desired result! While you may choose to write the perfect essay on the ingredients of a shrinking potion I chose to challenge myself and write of the ingredients in the antidote of veritaserum due to its unusually high sensitivity. Not once did Snape say the potion must be covered during lesson."

"Well, I wish you luck with your unconventional-"

"Oh enough Hermione, you're just annoyed you didn't think of it yourself." Gienah was shaking. "I've had enough of the school fawning over the brightest witch of our age and the bloody boy who lived-" Harry's cheeks burned. "-never mind I got top marks last year while working my ass off in quidditch. Never mind that I lost my mother too! And my father to Azkaban! But no, who would spare any sympathy to the bitch born from adultery. No one spares a second glance to the whoreson. Perish the thought of perfect Lily Potter shacking up with her husbands best mate. Perish the thought that precious Lily Potter would abandon a daughter out of shame. Dumbledore is convinced love saved Harry. What of her love when she tried to put me into an orphanage?"

Gienah was in tears. She breathed heavily as she stopped to wipe her tears. Harry was gawping at her, speechless. Hermione looked like she might start crying too. Ron hesitated and approached her like she was a wounded animal. Gienah then threw her arms around him and Ron patted her awkwardly but held his ground.

Tentatively Hermione pulled Ron away and sat Gienah down on the sofa and held her. "Let it out Gen."

"I'm sorry." Gienah whispered. "I think- I think I need to be alone."

Gienah summoned her cloak and ran out the portrait hole. Hermione was ready to chase after her but Harry stopped her.

"Gienah has never felt comforted by being inside." Harry told her.

"I've never seen her cry" Ron said still looking at the place she had had her outburst.

"I never knew she felt like that…" Harry murmured. "I always thought she had it easy. Remus adored her and Sirius is intent on spoiling her for their lost years. Remus says it's guilt. Youngest seeker in a century, best grades in her year- I admired her you know. My older talented sister."

"You have to remember before Hogwarts it was just her and Remus Harry." Hermione said thoughtfully. "Gienah has always felt inadequate that her parents abandoned her. When she told me about her first visit with Sirius she said she felt so guilty for thinking he would abandon her on purpose. And recently it's been all about you. She must have been burying her feelings."

"It's not like I enjoy the attention." Harry said quietly.

"No one said you did mate." Ron said quickly.

"Famous for the night my parents were murdered. Having Lockhart give me tips with managing my fanmail. Everyone knowing my name, my past." Harry continued hotly.

"Merlin, was there something in the pumpkin juice tonight?" Ron looked around at the two of them. "Harry, lets get to bed mate. We got trials tomorrow morning."

Harry didn't say anything just followed him upstairs. Ron bid Hermione goodnight as she looked at her essay and ripped it up into pieces. Yawning she refilled her coffee and started again on a fresh piece of parchment.

"Who's that?" Hagrid growled from inside. Gienah was freezing. She had had a run through the forest and still felt small, worthless, of little importance and she needed a friend. Hagrid finally opened the door up, Fang lifting his sleepy head lazily, one eye open before falling back to sleep.

"Everythin' ok Gen?" Hagrid looked up and down at her shivering frame and ushured her inside, pulling a scratchy blanket around her.

"What yer doin' out this time Gen?" Hagrid sighed. "You bin in the forest again? S'only bin a week!" Hagrid looked at her, his eyes gentle despite the tone of his voice. Giving up he put the kettle on. God bless the English.

"We can talk about it or sit here in silence sipping tea." Hagrid went on. "I don't mind."

"I lashed out at Hermione and Harry." Gienah finally said.

"What happened?"

"Hermione said my essay wasn't what the professors wanted. I snapped at her and said she was just jealous an' that I had enough of her being called the smartest witch of her age when I was the one that got the best results last year. Then I dunno it just became about Harry and how since I got here everyone felt sorry for him losing his parents, or worshipped him for what happened when my mother died too but no one wants to acknowledge that coz it'll be admitting that she wasn't the saint everyone makes her up to be, that I was a mistake." Gienah couldn't stop once she started.

"Woah girl woah." Hagrid said as she ran out of breath and was gasping for air. "Come over here".

Hagrid pulled her into a bear hug and thumped her on the back well meaningfully. "Don't you ever think you was a mistake. Sirius thinks the world of ya. I never seen Remus happier. Harry was livin' with those Dursleys and now he has a home! You made that happen. You gave Remus hope that a werewolf could still be a part of summin', you set Sirius free from that god awful prison, and you got custody for Harry. Now I never knew yer mother well but people put her on a pedestal, you're right. Doesn't mean to say she put herself there. I don't know what she was thinking putting you in an orphanage and I'm not sayin' she was right or wrong. Truth is neither of us know her story. James probably didn't have a clue! Fancy not knowing your wife was carrying a baby fer nine months. You can hate her or love'er, that up to ya. But don't ya go thinking you were never meant to be born. Ya hear me?"

Gienah nodded and have him a watery smile.

"You're a good friend Hagrid."

"Wakin' up this hour for a cup of tea?" Hagrid sorted. "I reckon I must be a bloomin' saint."

Gienah laughed and sipped her tea feeling her insecurities quelled for the time being. Half an hour later Gienah flew back to her dormitory. She noticed Hermione wasn't in bed yet and went downstairs to find her snoring lightly in her armchair. Not wanting to wake her, truthfully not quite ready to face her, she put the book open in her lap on the table, adjusted her pillow and placed a blanket over her.

* * *

The alarm woke her at the crack of dawn. Gienah cursed Wood for his new training program. There was a thin mist hanging across the pink-and-gold sky and the birds were making a racket that made her want to gnaw at her eardrums. She didn't bother showering as she pulled on her robes and dragged herself to breakfast. Unable to eat this early she had a few spoons of porridge glaring at her captain all the while. Sleep still in her eyes and her hair resembling a bird's nest, the effect was not quite what she desired. Though she wasn't the only one.

"Oliver" Fred croaked. George was snoring on the table, his head resting on a plate of scrambled eggs. "What fresh hell are you planning this year? What did we ever do to you?"

Oliver Wood was a tall and burly sixth year and, at the moment, his eyes were gleaming with a crazed enthusiasm. "It's part of our new training program. Come on, grab your broom, and let's go," said Wood heartily. "None of the other teams have started training yet; we're going to be first off the mark this year -"

As the team gathered in the changing room Wood was the only person who looked truly awake. Fred and George Weasley were sitting, puffy-eyed and tousle haired, next to fourth year Alicia Spinnet, who seemed to be nodding off against the wall behind her. Her fellow Chasers, Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, were yawning side by side opposite them.

"Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field, because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference..."

Wood was holding up a large diagram of a Quidditch field, on which were drawn many lines, arrows, and crosses in different colored inks. He took out his wand, tapped the board, and the arrows began to wiggle over the diagram like caterpillars. As Wood launched into a speech about his new tactics, Fred Weasley's head drooped right onto Alicia Spinnet's shoulder and he began to snore.

The first board took nearly twenty minutes to explain, but there was another board under that, and a third under that one. Gienah sank into a stupor as Wood droned on and on.

"So," said Wood, at long last, jerking Gienah from a wistful fantasy where she was still in bed. "Is that clear? Any questions?"

"I've got a question, Oliver," said George, who had woken with a start. "Why couldn't you have told us all this yesterday when we were awake?"

Wood wasn't pleased.

"Now, listen here, you lot," he said, glowering at them all. "We won the Quidditch cup last year. For the first time in years I have a talented team but that kind of attitude won't get us a second victory. We put in the graft and it paid off. It'll be the same this year. So this year, we train harder than ever before... I wanted us to get some practice in before we have our trials for the team. Want none of you getting complacent… Okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Wood shouted, seizing his broomstick and leading the way out of the locker rooms. Stiff-legged and still yawning, his team followed.

They had been in the locker room so long that the sun was up completely now, although remnants of mist hung over the grass in the stadium. As Gienah walked onto the field, he saw Ron and Hermione sitting in the stands with a stack of toast between them. There was no Harry she noted with a frown.

"Aren't you finished yet?" called Ron incredulously.

"Haven't even started," said Gienah. "Wood's been teaching us new moves."

She mounted her broomstick and kicked at the ground, soaring up into the air. The cool morning air whipped her face, waking her far more effectively than Wood's long talk. It felt wonderful to be back on the Quidditch field. She soared right around the stadium at full speed, racing Fred and George.

"What's going on?" said Wood, frowning, as he skimmed through the air toward them. "Why's that first year taking pictures? I don't like it. He could be a Slytherin spy, trying to find out about our new training program."

"He's in Gryffindor," said Gienah squinting at the mousy haired boy that had been stalking Harry.

"And the Slytherins don't need a spy, Oliver," said George.

"What makes you say that?" said Wood testily.

"Because they're here in person," said George, pointing.

Several people in green robes were walking onto the field, broomsticks in their hands.

"I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!"

Wood shot toward the ground, landing rather harder than he meant to in his anger, staggering slightly as he dismounted. Gienah, Fred, and George followed.

"Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got it booked specially! You can clear off now!"

Marcus Flint was even larger than Wood. He had a look of trollish cunning on his face as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood."

Angelina, Alicia, and Katie had come over, too. There were no girls on the Slytherin team, who stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the Gryffindors and leering.

"But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"

"Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker'. "

"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?"

And from behind the six large figures before them came a seventh, smaller boy, smirking all over his pale, pointed face. It was Draco Malfoy.

"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" said Fred, looking at Malfoy with dislike.

"Funny you should mention Draco's father," said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smiled still more broadly. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team."

All seven of them held out their broomsticks. Seven highly polished, brand-new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering spelling the words Nimbus Two Thousand and One gleamed under the Gryffindors' noses in the early morning sun.

"Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps" - he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Sevens -" sweeps the board with them."

None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say for a moment. Malfoy was smirking so broadly his cold eyes were reduced to slits.

"Oh, look," said Flint. "A field invasion."

Harry, Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see what was going on.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Gienah. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?"

He was looking at Malfoy, taking in his Slytherin Quidditch robes.

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team.

Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him.

"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweeps; I expect a museum would bid for them."

The Slytherin team howled with laughter.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione sharply. " They got in on pure talent."

The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.

Gineah fliched. There was an instant uproar at his words. Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him, Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!" and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint's arm at Malfoys face.

A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backward onto the grass.

"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.

The Slytherin team were paralyzed with laughter. Flint was doubled up, hanging onto his new broomstick for support. Malfoy was on all fours, banging the ground with his fist. The Gryffindors were gathered around Ron, who kept belching large, glistening slugs. Nobody seemed to want to touch him.

"We'd better get him to Hagrid's, it's nearest," said Hermione. "Gienah!"

Gienah was itching to draw her wand but decided Ron was priority. The pair of them pulled Ron up by the arms.

She and Hermione supported Ron out of the stadium and across the grounds toward the edge of the forest.

"Nearly there, Ron," said Hermione as the gamekeeper's cabin came into view. "You'll be alright in a minute - almost there-"

They were within twenty feet of Hagrid's house when the front door opened, but it wasn't Hagrid who emerged. Gilderoy Lockhart, wearing robes of palest mauve today, came striding out.

"Quick, behind here," Gienah hissed, dragging Ron behind a nearby bush. Hermione followed, somewhat reluctantly.

"It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing!" Lockhart was saying loudly to Hagrid. "If you need help, you know where I am! I'll let you have a copy of my book. I'm surprised you haven't already got one - I'll sign one tonight and send it over. Well, good-bye!" And he strode away toward the castle.

Gienah waited until Lockhart was out of sight, then pulled Ron out of the bush and up to Hagrid's front door. They knocked urgently.

Hagrid appeared at once, looking very grumpy, but his expression brightened when he saw who it was.

"Bin wonderin'when you'd come ter see me Hermione, Ron - come in, come in - thought you mighta bin Professor Lockhart back again-Where's Harry?"

Gienah and Hermione supported Ron over the threshold into the one-roomed cabin, which had an enormous bed in one corner, a fire crackling merrily in the other. Hagrid didn't seem perturbed by Ron's slug problem, which Gienah explained as she lowered Ron into a chair.

"Better out than in," he said cheerfully, plunking a large copper basin in front of him. "Get em all up, Ron."

"I don't think there's anything to do except wait for it to stop," said Hermione anxiously, watching Ron bend over the basin. "That's a difficult curse to work at the best of times, but with a broken wand-"

Hagrid was bustling around making them tea. His boarhound, Fang, was slobbering over Gienah.

"What did Lockhart want with you, Hagrid?" Gienah asked, scratching Fang's ears.

"Givin'me advice on gettin'kelpies out of a well," growled Hagrid, moving a half-plucked rooster off his scrubbed table and setting down the teapot. "Like I don'know. An'bangin'on about some banshee he banished. If one word of it was true, I'll eat my kettle."

It was most unlike Hagrid to criticize a Hogwarts' teacher, and Gienah looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Hermione, however, said in a voice somewhat higher than usual, "I think you're being a bit unfair. Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job-"

"He was the on'y man for the job," said Hagrid, offering them a plate of treacle fudge, while Ron coughed squelchily into his basin. "An'I mean the on'y one. Gettin'very difficult ter find anyone fer the Dark Arts job. People aren't too keen ter take it on, see. They're startin'ter think it's jinxed. No one's lasted long fer a while now. So tell me," said Hagrid, jerking his head at Ron. "Who was he tryin'ter curse?"

"Malfoy called me something - it must've been really bad, because everyone went wild."

"It was bad," said Ron hoarsely, emerging over the tabletop looking pale and sweaty. "Malfoy called her Mudblood,'Hagrid-"

Ron dived out of sight again as a fresh wave of slugs made their appearance. Hagrid looked outraged.

"He didn'!" he growled at Hermione.

"He did," she said. "But I don't know what it means. I could tell it was really rude, of course-"

"It's about the most insulting thing he could think of," gasped Ron, coming back up. "Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who is Muggle-born - you know, non-magic parents. There are some wizards - like Malfoy's family - who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pure-blood." He gave a small burp, and a single slug fell into his outstretched hand. He threw it into the basin and continued, "I mean, the rest of us know it doesn't make any difference at all. Look at Neville Longbottom - he's pure-blood and he can hardly stand a cauldron the right way up."

"An'they haven't invented a spell our Hermione can'do," said Hagrid proudly, making Hermione go a brilliant shade of magenta.

"It's a disgusting thing to call someone," said Ron, wiping his sweaty brow with a shaking hand. "Dirty blood, see. Common blood. It's ridiculous. Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn't married Muggles we'd've died out."

He retched and ducked out of sight again.

"Well, I don'blame yeh fer tryin'ter curse him, Ron," said Hagrid loudly over the thuds of more slugs hitting the basin. "Bu'maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired. Spect Lucius Malfoy would've come marchin'up ter school if yeh'd cursed his son. Least yer not in trouble."

Gienah would have pointed out that trouble didn't come much worse than having slugs pouring out of your mouth, but she couldn't; Hagrid's treacle fudge had cemented his jaws together.

"Treacle fudge, Ron?" he added as Ron reappeared.

"No thanks," said Ron weakly. "Better not risk it."

"Come an'see what I've bin growin'," said Hagrid as Gienah and Hermione finished the last of their tea.

In the small vegetable patch behind Hagrid's house were a dozen of the largest pumpkins Gienah had ever seen. Each was the size of a large boulder.

"Gettin'on well, aren't they?" said Hagrid happily. "Fer the Halloween feast... should be big enough by then."

"What've you been feeding them?" said Hermione.

Hagrid looked over his shoulder to check that they were alone.

"Well, I've bin givin'them - you know - a bit o'help-"

Gienah noticed Hagrid's flowery pink umbrella leaning against the back wall of the cabin. Gienah had had reason to believe before now that this umbrella was not all it looked; in fact, she had the strong impression that Hagrid's old school wand was concealed inside it. Hagrid wasn't supposed to use magic. She had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, but Gienah had never found out why - any mention of the matter and Hagrid would clear his throat loudly and become mysteriously deaf until the subject was changed.

"An Engorgement Charm, I suppose?" said Hermione, halfway between disapproval and amusement. "Well, you've done a good job on them."

"That's what yer little sister said," said Hagrid, nodding at Ron. "Met her jus'yesterday. Said she was jus'lookin'round the grounds, but I reckon she was hopin'she might run inter someone else at my house." He chuckled. Ron snorted with laughter and the ground was sprayed with slugs.

"Watch it!" Hagrid roared, pulling Ron away from his precious pumpkins.

Nearing twelve they returned to the pitch for the try-outs. Gienah felt a little nervous. Harry was pretty good, quick, light and brilliant eye coordination. But Gienah had had a year of gruelling training. She couldn't determine whose raw talent was superior. Hermione returned to the stands her head buried in yet another Lockhart book. Gienah joined the huddle of Gryffindors and found Harry at the back. She walked over to him and lightly held his hand. He turned and pulled her into a hug instead. Gienah breathed in his familiar scent and felt secure, protected.

"Attention!"

Wood had everyone do a quick circle round the pitch. Immediately the candidates were halved. There was only Gienah and Harry trialing for seeker position. They did a number of familiar drills that Harry picked up quite quickly. Wood got everyone to throw tennis balls at them for ten minutes. Gienah caught most of them, Harry was a close second.

Wood called them back down. "Harry you're the reserve seeker and chaser. Congratulations." He threw a bundle of robes with POTTER emblazoned at the back. Gienah grinned at her little brother who just stared at Wood and dragged him to lunch.

"Why we have to go to detention while you get away scot free!" Ron grumbled sitting down near Hermione. McGonagall had just seen to Ron and Harry about detentions that evening. "Polishing the trophies will take me all night. No magic!"

"Answering Lockhart's fanmail?" Harry looked at Gienah and almost whimpered.

"What do you mean she gets away-" Hermione began suspiciously. "I knew it! Gienah Elladora Black-"

"Cheers" Gienah glared at Ron.

* * *

Gienah and Hermione spent the entire day in the library, their essays complete Gienah looked for alternative literature on dark creatures. Transforming into a cat she snuck into the Restricted section and brought back a book on Rarest Beasts in Legend. There was many fascinating creatures, some she highly doubted existed. Harpies, Gryffins, Minotaurs and daemons. Gienah eagerly noted the names of these creatures and their habitats and origin. Nearing the end of the book she came across an unusual drawing. It was a young woman with light eyes and dark hair. Gienah felt the world slow down as she looked at the caption that read Nagual, the skinwalker or the wearer of skins.

Of this creature myth is well versed. The Nagual is a female witch born with the power to transform either spiritually or physically into an animal form. The Nagual once lived in clans, isolated from the world taking male lovers for their daughters but the pure blooded began to die out and the Nagual blood line was diluted. These skinwalkers are said to be dark creatures who seduce men to their destruction. The Nagual have dark hair, the colour of the moonless night, and light eyes that resemble pools of silver. In their adolescence the witch dominates, in years the beast is brought to the surface. Her feral beauty on her coming of age intoxicates those she wills to be her victim. Others are wary of her without seeing the beast within. Persecuted heavily in the middle ages if now any remain they live in fear of their true nature being revealed to the prejudices that continue to this day. It has long been rumoured that the lady of the lake was such a creature and it was with her beauty she seduced and enslaved Merlin to her cause.

Gienah fled the library. Dark creature.. Beast within. A danger to fellow classmates… and then she heard it. She stopped along the second floor corridor. It was a voice, a voice to chill the bone marrow, a voice of breathtaking, ice-cold venom. "Come... come to me... Let me rip you... Let me tear you... Let me kill you..."

Gienah pressed her ears to the stone wall. it was moving, she ran along the corridor and down the stairs. "Kill. Devour. Rip and tear." Then it fade away. Just like that. She turned and screamed.

"Ginny!" Gienah sighed with relief. "Did you hear a voice?"

Ginny looked blankly at her, clutching a black diary to her chest. Gienah shook her lightly and Ginny yelped.

"How are you doing Ginny?" Gienah said softly. "I know I haven't been around this last week but you'll feel at home in no time. It took us all time to adjust too."

Ginny nodded.

"And you will always have Luna." Gienah smiled at her.

They both walked back to the common room in silence, gienah pre-occupied with her newfound identity. Once at the common room she collapsed onto the armchair opposite Hermione whose feet were curled up behind her and several books surrounding her.

"There you are!" Hermione said relieved. "Why did you run off?"

"I'll tell you later."

Gienah lay back and only just closed her eyes when Harry came through the portrait hole.

"I need to talk to you." Harry said immediately.

"Let's wait for Ron" Gienah nodded.

Ron came an hour later. The common room was empty when he entered smelling of varnish.

"My muscles have all seized up," he groaned, sinking into the sofa. "Fourteen times he made me buff up that Quidditch cup before he was satisfied. And then I had another slug attack all over a Special Award for Services to the School. Took ages to get the slime off... How was it with Lockhart?"

"I heard a voice in Lockhart's office coming from behind the walls. It wanted to kill but then it faded away."

"And Lockhart said he couldn't hear it?" said Ron. Gienah could see him frowning in the light of the dying embers.

"Harry" Gienah paled. "I heard it too!"


	9. Mrs Norris

Chapter Thirteen: **Mrs. Norris**

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire. Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid's pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds.

Gienah watched Ginny from the corner of her eye one October morning during breakfast. She sat alone writing in that diary of hers. The other first year Gryffindor's didn't give her a second glance. Except Colin and she couldn't blame her for not indulging that friendship. Luna and Ginny did spend time together but being of different houses it wasn't the same as what she had with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Ron." Gienah hissed at the boy inhaling his breakfast. "Aren't you worried about Ginny?"

"What about her?" Ron looked at his sister sitting a few seats away.

"Her only friend is Luna Lovegood!" Gienah said with exasperation.

"What business is that of mine?" He said.

"The welfare of your sister should be business of yours you great prat."

"Charming." Ron said. "I'll talk to her."

The four walked to the dungeons together. Gienah sat next to Hermione as usual.

"Today you will be given a number of ingredients without a single instruction." Snape waved his wand and each pair had a different combination of ingredients. "No additional ingredients may be used. You must create a potion by the end of the lesson. You may begin."

Hermione and Gienah looked at the ingredients before them.

"Dragon blood, griffin claw, porcupine quills, silverweed, crocodile heart and rose water." Hermione said as she passed her eye on each ingredient. "Anti-burns paste."

"Hermione he said create, not regurgitate potions from memory." Gienah rolled her eyes. "While one use of dragon blood is healing another is its extremely effective use in memory restoratives. Silverweed is also a powerful restorative potion often used as an alternative for mandrake leaves."

"Five points to Gryffindor" said a cool baritone voice. Gienah had spoken just as Snape glided by. Hermione stared at Gienah.

"Bloody hell" Ron muttered looking at Harry with bemusement.

"If you could power the griffin claw." Gienah asked Hermione as she lit her cauldron with a smug smile on her face. After handing in a successful potion Hermione breathed in deeply and looked at Gienah.

"I want you to tutor me." Hermione said quietly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Grinned Gienah.

"Don't be an arse." Hermione grumbled as they entered History of Magic.

Half-way through the lesson Gienah whispered to Hermione "I've had enough of this" and raised her hand. "The International Warlock Convention had isolated Egypt despite the Sultan's notoriety of rule, and the country's wealth of minerals and resources. What influence had the Sardinian sorcerers to permit such an exclusion and what was their reason for excluding such an influential nation? Seeing as the point of discussion was the discovery of the fountain of youth in their neighbouring country."

The whole class stared at Gienah. Professor Binns looked at her as if he'd only just realized he had a class of twenty students before him.

"The Sardinian Sorcerers were at that time an influential clan of vampires. The view upon this ancient creature today is an attempt by wizard supremacists to assert their desired hierarchy. The Sudan had displeased the Sardinian Count in his decision to refuse sanctuary to vampires fleeing to Egypt pursued by an army of goblins."

"And the fountain of youth, it was destroyed?"

"Yes, the discovery of the fountain by muggles created much risk to the exposure of our kind. The entire mountain burnt in the largest fiendfyre incident since 12 B.C. It was contained by fifty two wizards and thirteen vampires. But let us return to section 29, paragraph 36 of the minutes from the target committee which has complete disregard to the International Law concerning the handling of muggles following a breach of secrecy-"

"But sir, the extract in question requires a full understanding of the forces in play."

"Why is the exclusion of Egypt of any bearing to the target committee?" Binn asked her, his lifeless eyes boring into hers.

"The handling of muggles following a breach of secrecy was brutal and unnecessary. A blind eye was turned to the violation of the International Law and an influential nation was excluded from the conversation. What does this tell us about the enforcement of international law in 1289? That it is completely de jure. That party politics took precedence. That this document is highly likely to be invalid."

"Yes well at first be must take a look at the official account of history Ms. Wetherby".

And the class fell back to sleep. Gienah had borrowed a book concerning the burning of the fountain of youth and made notes from the book instead. That night when Ron was copying her notes he had said he'd never made any sense of the notes but dates and names. Harry immediately copied Ron's. Hermione grabbed the notes from his hand and saw it was less to do with documents that events.

"What's wrong with my notes?" Hermione asked Harry hotly.

"Nothing." Harry returned Ron's notes quickly and decided to copy them later.

Gienah smirked and continued reading the latest find in the library concerned with the dark ages. she couldn't wait till they began learning of the legendary Merlin next year. Till then, there was nothing wrong with a bit of 'light reading' as Hermione would call it.

Late one stormy Saturday evening a few days before Halloween, returning to Gryffindor Tower, Gienah was drenched to the skin and splattered with mud. Gienah spent so long in the shower Fay Dunbar came in to check she hadn't drowned. Feeling drowsy she walked down to the common room with a blanket and a flask of berry tea and a box of homemade chocolates and macaroons Lupin had sent that morning. Harry, Ron and Hermione were extremely grateful.

Rain was still lashing the windows, which were now inky black, but inside all looked bright and cheerful. The firelight glowed over the countless squashy armchairs where people sat reading, talking, doing homework or, in the case of Fred and George Weasley, trying to find out what would happen if you fed a Filibuster firework to a salamander. Fred had "rescued" the brilliant orange, fire-dwelling lizard from a Care of Magical Creatures class and it was now smouldering gently on a table surrounded by a knot of curious people.

On Halloween morning Gienah and Harry went into the owlery to send off a birthday card to Sirius. Hagrid had helped them repair his old motorbike and had assured them he would get the bike to him that evening. The entire school was happily anticipating their Halloween feast; the Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Hagrid's vast pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, and there were rumors that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment.

Meanwhile Harry had promised Nearly Headless Nick to attend his deathday party and was regretting it. Gienah was somehow roped into going with him.

"A promise is a promise," Hermione reminded Harry bossily. "You said you'd go to the deathday party."

So at seven o'clock, Harry, Gienah, Ron, and Hermione walked straight past the doorway to the packed Great Hall, which was glittering invitingly with gold plates and candles, and directed their steps instead toward the dungeons.

The passageway leading to Nearly Headless Nick's party had been lined with candles, too, though the effect was far from cheerful: These were long, thin, jet-black tapers, all burning bright blue, casting a dim, ghostly light even over their own living faces. The temperature dropped with every step they took. As Gienah shivered and drew her robes tightly around him, she heard what sounded like a thousand fingernails scraping an enormous blackboard.

"Is that supposed to be music?" Ron whispered. They turned a corner and saw Nearly Headless Nick standing at a doorway hung with black velvet drapes.

"My dear friends," he said mournfully. "Welcome, welcome... so pleased you could come..."

He swept off his plumed hat and bowed them inside.

It was an incredible sight. The dungeon was full of hundreds of pearly-white, translucent people, mostly drifting around a crowded dance floor, waltzing to the dreadful, quavering sound of thirty musical saws, played by an orchestra on a raised, black-draped platform. A chandelier overhead blazed midnight-blue with a thousand more black candles. Their breath rose in a mist before them; it was like stepping into a freezer.

"Shall we have a look around?" Harry suggested, wanting to warm up his feet.

"Careful not to walk through anyone," said Ron nervously, and they set off around the edge of the dance floor. They passed a group of gloomy nuns, a ragged man wearing chains, and the Fat Friar, a cheerful Hufflepuff ghost, who was talking to a knight with an arrow sticking out of his forehead. Gienah wasn't surprised to see that the Bloody Baron, a gaunt, staring Slytherin ghost covered in silver bloodstains, was being given a wide berth by the other ghosts.

"Oh, no," said Hermione, stopping abruptly. "Turn back, turn back, I don't want to talk to Moaning Myrtle-"

"Who?" said Harry as they backtracked quickly.

"She haunts one of the toilets in the girls bathroom on the first floor," said Hermione.

"She haunts a toilet?"

"Yes. It's been out-of-order all year because she keeps having tantrums and flooding the place. I never went in there anyway if I could avoid it; it's awful trying to have a pee with her wailing at you-"

"Look, food!" said Ron.

On the other side of the dungeon was a long table, also covered in black velvet. They approached it eagerly but next moment had stopped in their tracks, horrified. The smell was quite disgusting. Large, rotten fish were laid on handsome silver platters; cakes, burned charcoal-black, were heaped on salvers; there was a great maggoty haggis, a slab of cheese covered in furry green mold and, in pride of place, an enormous gray cake in the shape of a tombstone, with tar-like icing forming the words,

SIR NICHOLAS DE MIMSY-PORPINGTON

DIED 31ST OCTOBER, 1492

Gienah watched, amazed, as a portly ghost approached the table, crouched low, and walked through it, his mouth held wide so that it passed through one of the stinking salmon.

"Can you taste it if you walk through it?" Harry asked him.

"Almost," said the ghost sadly, and he drifted away.

"I expect they've let it rot to give it a stronger flavor," said Hermione knowledgeably, pinching her nose and leaning closer to look at the putrid haggis.

"Can we move? I feel sick," said Ron.

They had barely turned around, however, when a little man swooped suddenly from under the table and came to a halt in midair before them.

"Hello, Peeves," said Harry cautiously.

Unlike the ghosts around them, Peeves the Poltergeist was the very reverse of pale and transparent. He was wearing a bright orange party hat, a revolving bow tie, and a broad grin on his wide, wicked face.

"Nibbles?" he said sweetly, offering them a bowl of peanuts covered in fungus.

"No thanks," said Hermione.

"Heard you talking about poor Myrtle," said Peeves, his eyes dancing. " Rude you was about poor Myrtle." He took a deep breath and bellowed, "OY! MYRTLE!"

"Oh, no, Peeves, don't tell her what I said, she'll be really upset," Hermione whispered frantically. "I didn't mean it, I don't mind her - er, hello, Myrtle."

The squat ghost of a girl had glided over. She had the glummest face half-hidden behind lank hair and thick, pearly spectacles.

"What?" she said sulkily.

"How are you, Myrtle?" said Hermione in a falsely bright voice. "It's nice to see you out of the toilet."

Myrtle sniffed.

"Miss Granger was just talking about you -" said Peeves slyly in Myrtle's ear. "Just saying-"

"Just saying - saying - how nice you look tonight," said Hermione, glaring at Peeves.

Myrtle eyed Hermione suspiciously.

"You're making fun of me," she said, silver tears welling rapidly in her small, see-through eyes.

"No - honestly - didn't I just say how nice Myrtle's looking?" said Hermione, nudging Harry and Ron painfully in the ribs.

"Oh, yeah-"

"She did-"

"Don't lie to me," Myrtle gasped, tears now flooding down her face, while Peeves chuckled happily over her shoulder. "D'you think I don't know what people call me behind my back? Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle!"

"You've forgotten pimply," Peeves hissed in her ear.

Moaning Myrtle burst into anguished sobs and fled from the dungeon. Peeves shot after her, pelting her with moldy peanuts, yelling, " Pimply! Pimply! "

"Oh, dear," said Hermione sadly.

Nearly Headless Nick now drifted toward them through the crowd.

"Enjoying yourselves?"

"Oh, yes," they lied.

"Not a bad turnout," said Nearly Headless Nick proudly. "The Wailing Widow came all the way up from Kent... It's nearly time for my speech, I'd better go and warn the orchestra..."

The orchestra, however, stopped playing at that very moment. They, and everyone else in the dungeon, fell silent, looking around in excitement, as a hunting horn sounded.

"Oh, here we go," said Nearly Headless Nick bitterly.

Through the dungeon wall burst a dozen ghost horses, each ridden by a headless horseman. The assembly clapped wildly. At the front of the pack was a large ghost who held his bearded head under his arm, from which position he was blowing the horn. The ghost leapt down, lifted his head high in the air so he could see over the crowd (everyone laughed), and strode over to Nearly Headless Nick, squashing his head back onto his neck.

The Headless Hunt were celebrity in the ghost world and following their entrance they were introduced to Sir Patrick. Stomachs grumbling, teeth chattering and ears bleeding Gienah was deeply regretting accompanying Harry to his death wish.

"I can't stand much more of this," Ron muttered, his teeth chattering, as the orchestra ground back into action and the ghosts swept back onto the dance floor.

"Let's go," Harry agreed.

They backed toward the door, nodding and beaming at anyone who looked at them, and a minute later were hurrying back up the passageway full of black candles.

"Pudding might not be finished yet," said Ron hopefully, leading the way toward the steps to the entrance hall.

And then Gienah heard it.

"... rip... tear... kill..."

It was the same voice, the same cold, murderous voice she had heard weeks ago.

Gienah saw Harry stumbled to a halt, clutching at the stone wall, listening with all his might, looking around, squinting up and down the dimly lit passageway.

"Harry, what're you -?"

"It's that voice again - shut up a minute-"

"... soo hungry... for so long..."

"Listen!" said Harry and Gienah urgently, and Ron and Hermione froze.

"... kill... time to kill..."

The voice was growing fainter. Gienah was sure it was moving away - moving upward. A mixture of fear and excitement gripped her as she stared at the dark ceiling; how could it be moving upward? Was it a phantom, to whom stone ceilings didn't matter?

"This way," Harry shouted, and he began to run, up the stairs, into the entrance hall. It was no good hoping to hear anything here, the babble of talk from the Halloween feast was echoing out of the Great Hall. Harry sprinted up the marble staircase to the first floor, Gienah, Ron and Hermione clattering behind him.

"What're we-"

"SHH!"

Gienah strained her ears. Distantly, from the floor above, and growing fainter still, she heard the voice: "... I smell blood... I SMELL BLOOD!"

Her stomach lurched-

"It's going to kill someone!" Harry shouted, and ignoring Ron's and Hermione's bewildered faces, he ran up the next flight of steps three at a time, trying to listen over his own pounding footsteps - Harry hurtled around the whole of the second floor, Gienah, Ron and Hermione panting behind him, not stopping until they turned a corner into the last, deserted passage.

"Harry, what was that all about?" said Ron, wiping sweat off his face. "I couldn't hear anything..."

But Hermione gave a sudden gasp, pointing down the corridor.

"Look! "

Something was shining on the wall ahead. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been daubed on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE

"What's that thing - hanging underneath?" said Ron, a slight quiver in his voice.

As they edged nearer, Harry almost slipped - there was a large puddle of water on the floor; Gienah and Hermione grabbed him, and they inched toward the message, eyes fixed on a dark shadow beneath it. All four of them realized what it was at once, and leapt backward with a splash.

Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.

For a few seconds, they didn't move. Then Ron said, "Let's get out of here."

"Shouldn't we try and help -" Harry began awkwardly.

"Trust me," said Ron. "We don't want to be found here."

But it was too late. A rumble, as though of distant thunder, told them that the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends.

The chatter, the bustle, the noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the hanging cat. Harry, Gienah, Ron, and Hermione stood alone, in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight.

Then someone shouted through the quiet.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

It was Draco Malfoy. He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat.


	10. The Chamber of Secrets

Chapter 14: **The Chamber of Secrets**

In the ocean killer whales swam in flocks, master predators, that even the Great White bowed its deadly head to their sheer magnitude, speed and intelligence. Thestrals were such predators, swooping the night sky over the canopy, speaking to each other in their own language, too subtle for the human ear. It was a majestic sight Gienah thought as she and Hermes swam beneath them as they circled their prey. It was moments like these when Gienah failed to understand the wizarding world's blind belief in their kind as superior to all others. Able to harness magic with a wand is no more impressive that a centaurs ability to read the stars or the talent of goblins in creating magical and everlasting artefacts. The wizarding population was in relativity miniscule. She was beginning to think no wonder their world was constantly in danger from purity fanatics. Fear was the driving force of mankind. Failing in lengths to rise in percentage they were steadily becoming a minority even granted with the powers of wandlore and borrowed arts of their fellow magical beings. In fear, we lash out in justified righteousness against our fellow creatures to assure our fragile egos of our continuing place in the universe. Gienah looked to the waxing moon, waning in the darkness, before soaring towards the castle. Her mind swirling with the events of Halloween night. The persecution of muggle-borns. The voice that only Harry and Gienah could hear, petrified Mrs. Norris, the writing on the wall…

"Lets think about this logically." Hermione was sitting cross legged on the floor of their dormitory the next evening across Ginny and Gienah. The rest of the girls were at the Ravenclaw sleepover the Patil twins were hosting so Hermione and Gienah decided to have a girly night in. ("I don't see why we can't join? I want to try this pizza Harry's raving about!" Ron called after them at the foot of the girls staircase.) Ginny was lying her head back on the bed wearing a homemade face mask and cucumbers wearing pyjamas covered in pygmy puffs. While Gienah painted her nails Hermione flipped out a notebook and wrote down all the suspicious events that had taken place.

"Dobby the house elf has masters who have facilitated this danger that puts Harry personally at risk. Likely that you-know-who is involved. Harry is yet again a factor in that only he and you can hear this voice that wants to kill. The writing suggests the Chamber of Secrets has been reopened by the heir of Slytherin. The monster is able to petrify its victims as well as travel without being seen in a great big castle."

"Succinct" Gienah said as she began her second coating of silver onto her nails. "What is the monster of Slytherin? Who is the heir of Slytherin? And who is Dobby's master? What do you think Gin?"

"Urm-" Ginny's ears turned red and Gienah guessed the rest of her face too if they could see her complexion past the green goo. Ginny was still terribly shy around the two of them. The only girl she seemed to have ever been herself with was Luna and even that friendship was withering away now they were at Hogwarts.

"Maybe we should just relax Mione" Gienah sighed. "Ginny doesn't want to hear any of this, do you?"

"I don't mind" Ginny said quickly.

"What else are we meant to do?" Gienah looked at Hermione for direction. "Face mask, pizza, nail varnish…"

"I've only seen this stuff in movies and what Lavender's always going on about." Hermione shrugged. "Muggle's watch movies. Lavender's always going through magazines and gossiping about boys and hairstyles."

"Let's talk boys." Gienah smiled widely wiggling her eyebrows at Hermione.

"Ginny?" Hermione's voice turned into a high tenor.

"Luna says boys have cooties." Ginny said quickly before catching herself and turning red again.

"Right you are!" laughed Gienah. "But I don't think Hermione agrees. Although she may point out that while boys have cooties men are cootie-free.. Say one professor teaching at this very castle who owns more mirrors than any would care to confess to- Hermione might say was almost definitely cootie-free."

"There are no such thing as cooties." Hermione said tightly.

"But this professor has caught the attention of the brightest witch of our time Hermione!" Gienah said with mock concern. "This is certainly a conversation we dare not drop. This is a matter of life and death! A matter of world peace and a decent line of hair care products!"

Ginny burst out laughing, shaking so hard the cucumbers slid down her face. Even Hermione quirked a smile.

"Professor Lockhart is a handsome man who has… had his fair share of well-deserved recognition." Hermione sniffed. "There is nothing else to discuss."

Gienah continued to smile at her knowingly.

"Ginny!" Hermione turned to look at her. "What about you? Any particular dark haired bespectacled boys you've taken a fancy to? One with a deep passion for poetry?"

Ginny looked like steam could have come shooting out of her ears her ears and neck turned scarlet.

"Gin we all know you fancy Harry" Gienah smiled kindly at the younger witch. "It's fine, it's not like he doesn't know."

"He knows?!" Ginny squealed.

Finally, the girl was coming out of her shell.

"Anyone in a ten metre radius to you while Harry's in the same room knows dear." Hermione snorted.

"What I want to know is why?" Gienah asked. "I guess he's my brother so I'll never get it but he's... "

"Noble and brave and chivalrous. Eyes the colour of emeralds and his hair illuminates the mystery of the night skies." Ginny said with her eyes looking into the distance. "He's everything I can't be. Born from love and light, the boy of hope and peace..."

Gienah and Hermione looked at each other for a few moments before Gienah sighed.

"I'm just going to have to get used to that." Gienah lied back so her head was near Hermione's. Hermione stroked her dark hair with understanding and sympathy. Ginny just looked out the window mournfully. Gienah reached her hand out and Ginny came to lie near her.

"Ginny don't be sad." Gienah turned her head to see the red-haired witch staring out into the starry night, her eyes wet with tears. "Harry will grow up eventually and he'll see what a beautiful witch he has right under his very nose. He'll regret having spent all those years not quite seeing you. And when he does he'll fall in love with you. It'll be a story out of fairy tales. He'll save you from the evil dark wizard- well not before I save you first but lets allow some patriarchal tradition to depart from actual fact (Hermione sniggered knowing how likely it was that Gienah would be the saviour)- and put an end to the wizarding world threatening our very existence. In the throes of passion he'll kiss you standing over the corpse of the darkest lord of out time. While the world will be in recovery your love can only go from strength to strength. You have a white wedding in the woodland with people from all over. Not only wizards and witches but elves and goblins, dwarves and centaurs, all magical beings will unify to see the blessed union. You are a vision in white, flower and ivy weaving in your flaming hair, your maid of honour a dark beauty in silver-" And Gienah went on as the three girls lay back on the floor escaping to dreams of their future. Ginny closed her eyes and dreamt not of a girl with flaming hair at the altar but a petite girl with black hair and onyx coloured eyes looking lovingly into the startling green eyes of her new husband. Her eyes fluttered as she smiled allowing the hope to become a possibility.

The days following their night together Ginny became a little closer to the two fiercely intelligent witches. Gienah took her under her wing and Hermione saw her as the sister she'd never had. Gienah was proud of their efforts as the girl bloomed under their friendship. Growing up with six brothers had left her with a wicked sense of humour and thick skin. But neither failed to notice a sadness in her eyes, a darkness in her heart and a fear of isolation though they only reflected on these thoughts in their own minds, privately and always with hope that it will fade away with friendship and time.

On the following Wednesday Gienah and Ron were at the back of the library. Ron was measuring his History of Magic homework. Professor Binns had asked for a three foot long composition on "The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards." Harry joined them later having had been held back in Potions. He told them Snape had made him stay behind to scrape tubeworms off the desks with deep dislike.

"I don't believe it, I'm still eight inches short said Ron furiously, letting go of his parchment, which sprang back into a roll. "And Hermione's done four feet seven inches and her writing's tiny."

"Where is she?" asked Harry, grabbing the tape measure and unrolling his own homework.

"Somewhere over there," said Ron, pointing along the shelves. "Looking for another book. I think she's trying to read the whole library before Christmas."

Harry told Ron and Gienah about Justin Finch-Fletchley running away from him.

"Dunno why you care. I thought he was a bit of an idiot," said Ron, scribbling away, making his writing as large as possible. "All that junk about Lockhart being so great-"

Hermione emerged from between the bookshelves. She looked irritable and at last seemed ready to talk to them.

"All the copies of Hogwarts, A History have been taken out," she said, sitting down next to Harry. "And there's a two-week waiting list. I wish I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books."

"Why do you want it?" said Harry.

"The same reason everyone else wants it," said Gienah, "to read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets."

"What's that?" said Harry quickly.

"That's just it. I can't remember," said Hermione, biting her lip. "And I can't find the story anywhere else-"

"Gienah, let me read your composition," said Ron desperately, checking his watch.

"No, Ron," said Hermione, suddenly severe. "You've had ten days to finish it-"

"I'm asking Gienah! I only need another two inches, come on-"

The bell rang. Ron and Hermione led the way to History of Magic, bickering.

History of Magic was the dullest subject on their schedule. Professor Binns, who taught it, was their only ghost teacher, and the most exciting thing that ever happened in his classes was his entering the room through the blackboard. Ancient and shriveled, many people said he hadn't noticed he was dead. He had simply got up to teach one day and left his body behind him in an armchair in front of the staff room fire; his routine had not varied in the slightest since.

Today was as boring as ever. Professor Binns opened his notes and began to read in a flat drone like an old vacuum cleaner until nearly everyone in the class was in a deep stupor, occasionally coming to long enough to copy down a name or date, then falling asleep again. He had been speaking for half an hour when something happened that had only happened once before. Hermione put up her hand.

Professor Binns, glancing up in the middle of a deadly dull lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289, looked amazed.

"Miss - er -?"

"Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets," said Hermione in a clear voice.

Dean Thomas, who had been sitting with his mouth hanging open, gazing out of the window, jerked out of his trance; Lavender Brown's head came up off her arms and Neville Longbottom's elbow slipped off his desk.

Professor Binns blinked.

"My subject is History of Magic," he said in his dry, wheezy voice. "I deal with facts , Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat with a small noise like chalk slipping and continued, "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers-"

He stuttered to a halt. Hermione's hand was waving in the air again.

"Miss Grant?"

"Please, sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?"

Professor Binns was looking at her in such amazement, Gienah was sure he was unused to interruption, alive or dead.

"Well," said Professor Binns slowly, "yes, one could argue that, I suppose." He peered at Hermione as though he had never seen a student properly before. "However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational , even ludicrous tale-"

But the whole class was now hanging on Professor Binns's every word. He looked dimly at them all, every face turned to his. Gienah could tell he was completely thrown by such an unusual show of interest.

"Oh, very well," he said slowly. "Let me see... the Chamber of Secrets...

"You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago - the precise date is uncertain - by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution."

He paused, gazed blearily around the room, and continued.

"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school."

Professor Binns paused again, pursing his lips, looking like a wrinkled old tortoise.

"Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.

"Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

There was silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn't the usual, sleepy silence that filled Professor Binns's classes. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed.

"The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," he said. "Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."

Hermione's hand was back in the air.

"Sir - what exactly do you mean by the horror within the Chamber?"

"That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," said Professor Binns in his dry, reedy voice.

The class exchanged nervous looks.

"I tell you, the thing does not exist," said Professor Binns, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster."

"But, sir," said Seamus Finnigan, "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?"

"Nonsense, O'Flaherty," said Professor Binns in an aggravated tone. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven't found the thing-"

"But, Professor," piped up Parvati Patil, "you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it-"

"Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic doesn't mean he can't , Miss Pennyfeather," snapped Professor Binns. "I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore-"

"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't -" began Dean Thomas, but Professor Binns had had enough.

"That will do," he said sharply. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to history , to solid, believable, verifiable fact!"

And within five minutes, the class had sunk back into its usual stupor.

"I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony," Ron told Gienah, Harry and Hermione as they fought their way through the teeming corridors at the end of the lesson to drop off their bags before dinner. "But I never knew he started all this pure-blood stuff. I wouldn't be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I'd've got the train straight back home..."

"Hey!" Gienah protested. "I come from a family of Slytherins."

"Yes but you and your parents broke tradition." Ron pointed out.

"Still, this house rivalry does more harm than good." Gienah said with earnest.

As they were shunted along in the throng, Colin Creevy went past.

"Hiya, Harry!"

"Hullo, Colin," said Harry automatically.

"Harry - Harry - a boy in my class has been saying you're-"

But Colin was so small he couldn't fight against the tide of people bearing him toward the Great Hall; they heard him squeak, "See you, Harry!" and he was gone.

"What's a boy in his class saying about you?" Hermione wondered.

"That I'm Slytherin's heir, I expect," said Harry, his stomach dropping another inch or so as he suddenly remembered the way Justin Finch-Fletchley had run away from him at lunchtime.

"People here'll believe anything," said Ron in disgust.

The crowd thinned and they were able to climb the next staircase without difficulty.

"D'you really think there's a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked Hermione.

"I don't know," she said, frowning. "Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be - well - human."

As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the attack had happened. They stopped and looked. The scene was just as it had been that night, except that there was no stiff cat hanging from the torch bracket, and an empty chair stood against the wall bearing the message "The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened." Hermione's words echoed in Gienah's mind. Not human.

"That's where Filch has been keeping guard," Ron muttered.

They looked at each other. The corridor was deserted.

"Can't hurt to have a poke around," said Harry, dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues.

"Scorch marks!" he said. "Here - and here-"

"Come and look at this!" said Hermione. "This is funny..."

Gienah got up and crossed to the window next to the message on the wall. Hermione was pointing at the topmost pane, where around twenty spiders were scuttling, apparently fighting to get through a small crack. A long, silvery thread was dangling like a rope, as though they had all climbed it in their hurry to get outside.

"Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" said Hermione wonderingly.

"No," said Gienah, "have you, Ron? Ron?"

She looked over his shoulder. Ron was standing well back and seemed to be fighting the impulse to run.

"What's up?" said Gienah.

"I - don't - like - spiders," said Ron tensely.

"I never knew that," said Hermione, looking at Ron in surprise. "You've used spiders in Potions loads of times..."

"I don't mind them dead," said Ron, who was carefully looking anywhere but at the window. "I just don't like the way they move..."

Hermione and Gienah giggled.

"It's not funny," said Ron, fiercely. "If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my - my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick... You wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and..."

He broke off, shuddering. Hermione was obviously still trying not to laugh. Feeling they had better get off the subject, Harry said, "Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone's mopped it up."

"It was about here," said Ron, recovering himself to walk a few paces past Filch's chair and pointing. "Level with this door."

He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he'd been burned.

"What's the matter?" said Harry.

"Can't go in there," said Ron gruffly. "That's a girls'toilet."

"Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there," said Hermione standing up and coming over. "That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Come on, let's have a look."

And ignoring the large OUT of ORDER sign, she opened the door.

It was the gloomiest, most depressing bathroom in the entire castle. Under a large, cracked, and spotted mirror were a row of chipped sinks. The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was dangling off its hinges.

Hermione put her fingers to her lips and set off toward the end stall. When she reached it she said, "Hello, Myrtle, how are you?"

Harry, Gienah and Ron went to look. Moaning Myrtle was floating above the tank of the toilet, picking a spot on her chin.

"This is a girls bathroom," she said, eyeing Ron and Harry suspiciously. " They're not girls."

"No," Hermione agreed. "I just wanted to show them how er - nice it is in here."

As the three of them talked to Moaning Myrtle Gienah looked around the bathroom thinking how odd that the place of attack stood near a haunted bathroom. Looking past the dirty mirror and the damp floor the bathroom had a touch of regality. Something in Gienah's mind was yelling caution. Gienah walked towards the cluster of sinks in a pentagon formation and looked at her reflection in the dusty mirror. She felt an aura of deep, powerful magic. She had felt it before. Spending so much time with magical creatures in the past summer she'd learnt to develop a sixth sense of sorts. Without sight, sound or smell she could tell what creature stood in the vicinity. Some were old and dark. Others pure and light. Hogwarts radiated with a thrumming of magic but there was something in this very bathroom.

"Gienah?" Harry called after her and she shook her head and decided to go over the clues with a piece of parchment before her. There were too many unanswered questions to make any sense of it all. Gienah had barely closed the door on Myrtle's gurgling sobs when a loud voice made all three of them jump.

"RON!"

Percy Weasley had stopped dead at the head of the stairs, prefect badge agleam, an expression of complete shock on his face.

"That's a girls bathroom!" he gasped. "What were you -?"

Harry, Gienah, Ron, and Hermione chose seats as far as possible from Percy in the common room that night. Ron was still in a very bad temper and kept blotting his Charms homework. When he reached absently for his wand to remove the smudges, it ignited the parchment. Fuming almost as much as his homework, Ron slammed The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 shut. To Harry's surprise, Hermione followed suit.

"Who can it be, though?" she said in a quiet voice, as though continuing a conversation they had just been having. "Who'd want to frighten all the Squibs and Muggle-borns out of Hogwart's?"

"Let's think," said Ron in mock puzzlement. "Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum?"

He looked at Hermione. Hermione looked back, unconvinced.

"If you're talking about Malfoy-"

"Of course I am!" said Ron. "You heard him - You'll be next, Mudbloods!'- come on, you've only got to look at his foul rat face to know it's him-"

"Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" said Hermione skeptically.

"Look at his family," said Harry, closing his books, too. "The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin; he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants. His father's definitely evil enough."

"They could've had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries!" said Ron. "Handing it down, father to son ..."

"Well," said Hermione cautiously, "I suppose it's possible..."

"But how do we prove it?" said Harry darkly.

"There might be a way," said Hermione slowly, dropping her voice still further with a quick glance across the room at Percy. "Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect-"

"If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won't you?" said Ron irritably.

"All right," said Hermione coldly. "What we'd need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it's us."

"But that's impossible," Harry said as Ron laughed.

"No, it's not," said Hermione. "All we'd need would be some Polyjuice Potion."

"What's that?" said Ron and Harry together.

"Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago-"

"D'you think we've got nothing better to do in Potions than listen to Snape?" muttered Ron.

"It transforms you into somebody else. Think about it! We could change into three of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us. Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He's probably boasting about it in the Slytherin common room right now, if only we could hear him."

"It's not Malfoy" Gienah said with certainty.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked her with a challenging stare Gienah had grown to love about her best friend.

"The Malfoy's bloodline has the most recorded and thorough history." Gienah went on. "Dad told me all about it. The only bloodline more prominent is The Noble House of Black. If he was a descendent of Slytherin we'd know about it."

"But it doesn't have to be the heir-" Harry started.

"I seriously doubt there's a key for the chamber." Gienah said gravely. "If it requires the heir to access it and wizards like Dumbledore have never discovered it, it must require some form of dark magic-"

"Which Malfoy would know!" Ron said eagerly.

"Look, I have no problem with brewing polyjuice potion right under Snape's nose but I think we need to focus on the monster. The voices me and Harry are hearing isn't common. But we've assumed it's the heir- what if the voice belongs to the monster?"

All three looked at her with wide eyes. Gienah's own heart was beating frantically.

"But- but, you and I" Harry spluttered. "We aren't dark or-"

"I've believed for a long time that there was no such thing as dark magic. Perhaps it is notoriously associated with dark wizards but magic is neither light nor dark. A tickling charm is harmless until it's cast for so long the wizard suffocates. Blood magic has been forgotten in its uses for protection so ancient it defeats the killing curse. We need to find out how it's possible that we hear something that no one else can. Not even Dumbledore. But we need to assume the heir can hear it too."

All four looked seriously at each other grim faced in the corner of the lovely common room. Gienah wondered what it'd be like having a normal life.

Since the disastrous episode of the pixies, Professor Lockhart had not brought live creatures to class. Instead, he read passages from his books to them, and sometimes reenacted some of the more dramatic bits. He usually picked Harry to help him with these reconstructions; so far, Harry had been forced to play a simple Transylvanian villager whom Lockhart had cured of a Babbling Curse, a yeti with a head cold, and a vampire who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce since Lockhart had dealt with him. All the while Gienah would pretend to faint every time Lockhart came to the rescue to her and Ron's amusement, otherwise she sat at the back taking notes from other, more reliable sources while Ron doodled or snored loudly by her side.

They were waiting for Harry to get the note allowing them permission to use the restricted section when he came out with a look of disbelief on his face.

"I don't believe it," he said as the three of them examined the signature on the note. "He didn't even look at the book we wanted."

"That's because he's a brainless git," said Ron. "But who cares, we've got what we needed-"

They dropped their voices as they entered the muffled stillness of the library. Madam Pince, the librarian, was a thin, irritable woman who looked like an underfed vulture.

"Moste Potente Potions?" she repeated suspiciously, trying to take the note from Hermione; but Hermione wouldn't let go.

"I was wondering if I could keep it," she said breathlessly.

"Oh, come on," said Ron, wrenching it from her grasp and thrusting it at Madam Pince. "We'll get you another autograph. Lockhart'll sign anything if it stands still long enough."

Madam Pince held the note up to the light, as though determined to detect a forgery, but it passed the test. She stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and moldy-looking book. Hermione put it carefully into her bag and they left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty.

Five minutes later, they were barricaded in Moaning Myrtle's out-of-order bathroom once again. Hermione had overridden Ron's objections by pointing out that it was the last place anyone in their right minds would go, so they were guaranteed some privacy. Moaning Myrtle was crying noisily in her stall, but they were ignoring her, and she them.

Gienah reluctantly joined them, bringing out her own books concerning the founders and magical beasts. A few minutes later she was engrossed. It was like one of those tragic werewolf romances Lavender was addicted to. Though both Hermione and Gienah had all but made the unbreakable vow to each other when they confessed that they had sneaked a few from her bookshelf and found themselves hooked to the wizarding equivalent of Mills & Boon. According to a few sources Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were in a destructive love triangle, the two wizards destroying their friendship in their competing for her love. In the end Slytherin became obsessed with blood purity and broke Rowena Ravenclaw's heart. " _While Gryffindor claimed her as his own, she was never the same once Slytherin had left. Rowena grew distant and it broke Gyffindor's heart…_ "

Hermione shut the book with a snap. Gienah almost jumped.

"Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine," she said. There were bright pink patches on her cheeks and her eyes were brighter than usual. "I don't want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in.

"I never thought Id see the day when you'd be persuading us to break rules," said Ron. "All right, we'll do it. But not toenails, okay?"

"How long will it take to make, anyway?" said Harry as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again.

"Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days... I'd say it'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients."

"A month?" said Ron. "Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!" But Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously again, and he added swiftly, "But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say."

Gienah chuckled and returned to her book with a fond smile on her face.

On Saturday morning Gienah went down to breakfast early, where she found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much. As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre-match pep talk.

"Slytherin has better brooms than us," he began. "No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers -"("Too true," muttered George Weasley. "I haven't been properly dry since August")"- and we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team."

Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Gienah.

"It'll be down to you, Gen, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Gen, because we've got to win today, we've got to."

"So no pressure" said Fred, winking at her.

As they walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.

"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three... two... one..."

With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Gienah flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the Snitch.

"All right there, love?" yelled Malfoy, shooting underneath her as though to show off the speed of his broom.

"You creep Malfoy" Gienah scowled at him as he sped by. Though the twins, Wood and Gienah had decent brooms, the chasers were still lagging behind on the times. Reliable but compared to the blurs of green and silver they were undeniably lacking. All their game plays were lost when Slytherin were constantly in possession and impossible to tackle. Wood was saving more than half of their attempts but he wasn't able to keep up despite their ongoing training every bloody morning. It was up to her.

It had started to rain; Gienah felt heavy drops fall onto his face. She didn't have a clue what was going on in the rest of the game until she heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say, "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero." There were groans from the Gryffindors and Gienah vent her frustration on her broom.

The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch's whistle, Gienah kicked hard into the air and heard the telltale whoosh of the Bludger behind her. Higher and higher she climbed; she looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, she nevertheless kept her eyes wide open, avoiding another fierce dive from the Bludger.

"Training for the ballet, Black?" yelled Malfoy as Gienah was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger. Glaring back at Malfoy in hatred, she saw it - the Golden Snitch. It was hovering inches above Malfoy's left ear - and Malfoy, busy laughing at Gienah, hadn't seen it.

For an agonizing moment, she hung in midair, not daring to speed toward Malfoy in case he looked up and saw the Snitch.

WHAM.

She had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit her at last, smashed into her elbow, and Gienah felt her arm break. Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in her arm, she slid sideways on her rain-drenched broom, one knee still crooked over it, her right arm dangling useless at her side - the Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time zooming at her face - Gienah swerved out of the way, one idea firmly lodged in her numb brain: get to Malfoy.

Through a haze of rain and pain she dived for the shimmering, sneering face below her and saw his eyes widen with fear: Malfoy thought Gienah was attacking him.

"What the -" he gasped, careening out of Gienah's way.

Gienah took her remaining hand off her broom and made a wild snatch; she felt her fingers close on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with her legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as she headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out.

With a splattering thud she hit the mud and rolled off her broom. Her arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, she heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. She focused on the Snitch clutched in her good hand.

"Aha," she said vaguely. "We've won."

And she fainted.

When Gienah awoke in the hospital wing Madam Pomfrey was fuming. From what she could understand from her mutterings Lockhart had attempted to come to her aid but he hadn't mended her bones. He had removed them. Madam Pomfrey wasn't at all pleased.

"You should have come straight to me!" she raged, holding up the sad, limp remainder of what, half an hour before, had been a working arm. "I can mend bones in a second - but growing them back-you'll have to stay the night..."

Madam Pomfrey was holding a large bottle of something labeled Skele-Gro.

"You're in for a rough night," she said, pouring out a steaming beakerful and handing it to her. "Regrowing bones is a nasty business."

The door of the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see her. "Unbelievable flying, Gen," said George. "I've just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn't seem too happy." They had brought cakes, sweets, and bottles of pumpkin juice; they gathered around her bed and were just getting started on what promised to be a good party when Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting, "This girl needs rest, she's got thirty-three bones to regrow! Out! OUT!" And Gienah was left alone, with nothing to distract her from the stabbing pains in her limp arm.

Hours and hours later, Gienah woke quite suddenly in the pitch blackness and gave a small yelp of pain: Her arm now felt full of large splinters. For a second, she thought that was what had woken her. Then, with a thrill of horror, she realized that someone was sponging her forehead in the dark.

"Get off!" she said loudly, and then, "Dobby!"

The house-elf's goggling tennis ball eyes were peering at Gienah through the darkness. A single tear was running down his long, pointed nose.

"Gienah Black came back to school," he whispered miserably. "Dobby warned and warned you and sir. Ah miss, why didn't you heed Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?"

Gienah heaved himself up on his pillows and pushed Dobby's sponge away.

"What're you doing here?" she said. "And how did you know we missed the train?"

Dobby's lip trembled and Gienah was seized by a sudden suspicion.

"It was you!" he said slowly. "You stopped the barrier from letting us through!"

"Indeed yes, miss," said Dobby, nodding his head vigorously, ears flapping. "Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward" - he showed Gienah ten long, bandaged fingers - "but Dobby didn't care, sir, for he thought Harry Potter was safe, and never did Dobby dream that Harry Potter would get to school another way!"

He was rocking backward and forward, shaking his ugly head.

"Dobby was so shocked when he heard Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts, he let his master's dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir..."

"You nearly got Ron and Harry expelled," Gienah sighed.

He blew his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore, looking so pathetic that Gienah couldn't remain angry at the poor thing.

"Why exactly are you here Dobby?" She asked.

"Ah, if miss only knew!" Dobby groaned, more tears dripping onto his ragged pillowcase. "If she knew what Harry Potter means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elves were treated like vermin, miss! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, miss," he admitted, drying his face on the pillowcase. "But mostly, miss, life has improved for my kind since Harry Potter triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter survived, and the Dark Lord's power was broken, and it was a new dawn, miss, and Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end, miss... And now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let Harry Potter stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more."

Dobby froze, horrorstruck, then grabbed Gienah's water jug from her bedside table and cracked it over his own head, toppling out of sight. A second later, he crawled back onto the bed, cross-eyed, muttering, "Bad Dobby, very bad Dobby..."

"So there is a Chamber of Secrets?" Gienah whispered. "And did you say it's been opened before? Tell me, Dobby!"

She seized the elf's bony wrist as Dobby's hand inched toward the water jug. "But Harry's not muggle-born - how can he be in danger from the Chamber?"

"Ah, miss, ask no more, ask no more of poor Dobby," stammered the elf, his eyes huge in the dark. "Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Harry Potter must not be here when they happen -"

"Who is it, Dobby?" Gienah said, keeping a firm hold on Dobby's wrist to stop him from hitting himself with the water jug again.

"Dobby can't, sir, Dobby can't, Dobby mustn't tell!" squealed the elf. "Urge your brother home, Harry Potter must go home!"

"He won't go anywhere," said Gienah sadly. "If you knew what he was like-"

"Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends!" moaned Dobby in a kind of miserable ecstasy. "So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must, Harry Potter must not-"

Dobby suddenly froze, his bat ears quivering. Gienah heard it, too. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside.

"Dobby must go!" breathed the elf, terrified. There was a loud crack, and Gienah's fist was suddenly clenched on thin air. She fell back into bed, her eyes on the dark doorway to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew nearer.

Next moment, Dumbledore was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed.

"Get Madam Pomfrey," whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Gienah's bed out of sight. Gienah lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. She heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. She heard a sharp intake of breath.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed.

"Another attack," said Dumbledore. "Minerva found him on the stairs."

Gienah's stomach gave a horrible lurch. Slowly and carefully, she raised himself a few inches so she could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face.

It was Colin Creevey. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera.

A.N. You must hate how much of the original I've been using. I promise to try better next chapter. Please read and review!


	11. TM Riddle

Chapter Fifteen: **T.M. Riddle**

Gienah woke up on Sunday morning to find the hospital blazing with winter sunlight and her arm reboned but very stiff. It took a few seconds for her to remember what she was doing there and the events of the night before. Quickly she sat up and looked over at Colin's bed, but it had been blocked from view. Gienah's heart rate picked up. Seeing that she was awake, Madam Pomfrey came bustling over with a breakfast tray and then began bending and stretching her arm and fingers.

"All in order," she said as she clumsily fed herself porridge left-handed. "When you've finished eating, you may leave."

Gienah dressed as quickly as she could, a mean feat with one able hand. Madam Pomfrey haf returned to her office. Looking around for any other unwelcome witnesses she ducked her head and was soon encased in Colin's sectioned off bed. Gienah moved closer to his side and saw his face frozen in awe and shock. Typical Gryffindor, Gienah smiled. His hands were in front of his face holding something that was no longer there. Harry would be familiar with his position.

Gienah then peeked through the curtains and made a run for it. She hurried to the common room but they weren't there. It was an hour yet before lunch so she walked aimlessly in the corridors wondering where they could be. As Gienah passed the library, Percy Weasley strolled out of it, looking in far better spirits than last time they'd met.

"Oh, hello, Gienah," he said. "Excellent flying yesterday, really excellent. Gryffindor has just taken the lead for the House Cup - you earned fifty points!"

"You haven't seen Harry, Ron or Hermione, have you?" said Gienah.

"No, I haven't," said Percy, his smile fading. "I hope Ron's not in another girls' toilet ..."

Gienah genuinely barked out laughing, watched Percy walk out of sight, and then headed straight for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She opened the door and heard their voices coming from a locked stall.

"It's me," she said, closing the door behind her. There was a clunk, a splash, and a gasp from within the stall and she saw Hermione's eye peering through the keyhole.

`Gienah!" she said. "You gave us such a fright - come in. How's your arm?"

"I'll survive," said Gienah, squeezing into the stall. An old cauldron was perched on the toilet, and a crackling from under the rim told Gienah they had lit a fire beneath it. Conjuring up portable, waterproof fires was a speciality of Hermione's.

"We'd've come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion," Ron explained as Gienah, with difficulty, locked the stall again. "We've decided this is the safest place to hide it."

Gienah started to tell them about Colin, but Hermione interrupted.

"We already know - we heard Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick this morning. That's why we decided we'd better get going-"

"The sooner we get a confession out of Malfoy, the better," snarled Ron. "D'you know what I think? He was in such a foul temper after the Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin."

"Ron." Gienah started as Ron looked at Harry and rolled his eyes. "It isn't Malfoy."

"Feeling an affinity with the ol' Slytherin house are we Gen?" Smirked Ron. "First Snape, now Malfoy."

"Ugh, you know I detest that little ferret as much as you do." Gienah said with distaste. "Professor Snape however is a respectable potions master."

"I'm sure if he gave me points I'd think so too." Ron muttered.

"If he gave you house points you'd go into shock mate." Harry said.

"But there's something else," said Gienah, watching Hermione tearing bundles of knotgrass and throwing them into the potion. "Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night."

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked up, amazed. Gienah told them everything Dobby had told her - or hadn't told her. Harry, Hermione and Ron listened with their mouths open.

"Why'd he come and see you?" Harry said as soon as she was finished.

"Why did he come and see Sirius?" Gienah retorted. "He knows you won't. I guess he thinks we should be taken your best interest in heart and remove you ourselves."

"Well?" Harry smirked.

"Man up" Gienah raised an eyebrow at him. "Never faced a dark wizard before?"

They all chortled.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Hermione said.

"This settles it," said Ron in a triumphant voice. "Lucius Malfoy must've opened the Chamber when he was at school here and now he's told dear old Draco how to do it. It's obvious. Wish Dobby'd told you what kind of monster's in there, though. I want to know how come nobody's noticed it sneaking around the school."

"Maybe it can make itself invisible," said Hermione, prodding leeches to the bottom of the cauldron. "Or maybe it can disguise itself - pretend to be a suit of armor or something - I've read about Chameleon Ghouls-"

"You read too much, Hermione," said Ron, pouring dead lacewings on top of the leeches. He crumpled up the empty lacewing bag and threw it at Gienah.

The news that Colin Creevey had been attacked and was now lying as though dead in the hospital wing had spread through the entire school by Monday morning. The air was suddenly thick with rumor and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone.

Ginny Weasley, who sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, was distraught, and Fred and George were going the wrong way about cheering her up. They were taking turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues. They only stopped when Percy, apoplectic with rage, told them he was going to write to Mrs. Weasley and tell her Ginny was having nightmares. Gienah and Hermione did their best to be there for her but too often did she just zone out, looking into a distance with fear in her eyes. It hardened their resolve if anything, to put an end to the madness. Though Hermione was still convinced she'd be getting answers in a few weeks Gienah continued to read up on legendary creatures and the founders. While she didn't seem to be getting anywhere she took some comfort in that the knowledge was not completely useless.

Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade in talismans, amulets, and other protective devices was sweeping the school. Neville Longbottom bought a large, evil-smelling green onion, a pointed purple crystal, and a rotting newt tail before the other Gryffindor boys pointed out that he was in no danger; he was a pure-blood, and therefore unlikely to be attacked.

"They went for Filch first," Neville said, his round face fearful. "And everyone knows I'm almost a Squib."

In the second week of December Professor McGonagall came around as usual, collecting names of those who would be staying at school for Christmas. Harry, Ron, and Hermione signed her list; they had heard that Malfoy was staying, which struck them as very suspicious. The holidays would be the perfect time to use the Polyjuice Potion and try to worm a confession out of him. Gienah was still debating staying.

"Gienah!" Ron said to her one late night in the common room. "We need you there".

"If anything you need one less person there." Gienah pointed out. Hermione was looking a little peeved that Gienah didn't consider the polyjuice much of a step forward in getting them answers.

Harry remained quiet.

Unfortunately, the potion was only half finished. They still needed the bicorn horn and the boomslang skin, and the only place they were going to get them was from Snape's private stores. Gienah privately felt she'd rather face Slytherin's legendary monster than let Snape catch her robbing his office.

"What we need," said Hermione briskly as Thursday afternoon's double Potions lesson loomed nearer, "is a diversion. Then one of us can sneak into Snape's office and take what we need." Gienah, Harry and Ron looked at her nervously.

Deliberately causing mayhem in Snape's Potions class was about as safe as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye.

Potions lessons took place in one of the large dungeons. Thursday afternoon's lesson proceeded in the usual way. Twenty cauldrons stood steaming between the wooden desks, on which stood brass scales and jars of ingredients.

Once the lesson was underway and Hermione had snuck out of the class, Genah ducked swiftly down behind her cauldron, pulled one of Fred's Filibuster fireworks out of her pocket, and gave it a quick prod with her wand. The firework began to fizz and sputter. Knowing she had only seconds, Gienah straightened up, took aim, and lobbed it into the air; it landed right on target in Goyle's cauldron.

"Silence! SILENCE!" Snape roared. "Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a Deflating Draft - when I find out who did this-" Harry gulped as Snape looked directly at him. Gienah smiled sweetly.

"He thought it was me!," Harry told Ron and Hermione as they hurried back to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Hermione threw the new ingredients into the cauldron and began to stir feverishly.

"It'll be ready in two weeks," she said happily.

"Snape can't prove it was you," said Ron reassuringly to Harry. "What can he do?"

"Knowing Snape, something foul," said Harry as the potion frothed and bubbled.

A week later, Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking across the entrance hall when they saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas beckoned them over, looking excited.

"They're starting a Dueling Club!" said Seamus. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days..."

"What, you reckon Slytherin's monster can duel?" said Ron, but he, too, read the sign with interest.

"Could be useful," he said to Gienah, Harry and Hermione as they went into dinner. "Shall we go?"

They were all for it, so at eight o'clock that evening they hurried back to the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited.

Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome. Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions - for full details, see my published works.

Gienah and Ron looked at each other and Ron silently pretended to be sick.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin."

"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in Harry's ear.

Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them.

"One - two - three-"

Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end. "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me-"

They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Lockhart teamed Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Snape reached Harry and Ron first.

"Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter- Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger - you can partner Miss Bulstrode."

Gienah was left partnering Pansy Parkinson. She'd rather Bulstrode. Parkinson folded her arms and tapped her perfectly manicured fingers against her wand, chewing gum and glaring at Gienah.

"Face your partners!" called Lockhart, back on the platform. "And bow!"

Pansy just raised an eyebrow and snorted. Gienah smiled at her sweetly and curtsied purring "Your nastiness." Pansy eyes turned to slits.

"Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "One ... two ... three-"

Gienah disarmed her at three and threw her wand back at her. She caught it with a huff and pointed her wand at her viciously. Gienah had not expected it Her front teeth began to grow at an alarming rate. Rolling her eyes she responded in kind. Pansy Parkinson's pug like face now became uncanny. Her nose was a full on pigs snout. Pansy erupted into hysterics and Gienah roared out with laughter. Ron and Seamus looked to see what the uproar was asbout and snickered along with a weeping Gienah.

"I said disarm only!"

Pansy abandoned her wand altogether and jumped on Gienah her nails sinking into her face.

"Stop! Stop!" screamed Lockhart.

A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. Both Neville and Justin were lying on the floor, panting; Ron was holding up an ashen-faced Seamus, apologizing for whatever his broken wand had done; but Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving; Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands lay forgotten on the floor. Harry leapt forward and pulled Millicent off. It was difficult: She was a lot bigger than he was.

"I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. "Let's have a volunteer pair - Longbottom and Finch-"

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville's round, pink face went pinker. "How about Malfoy and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted smile.

"Excellent idea!" said Lockhart.

"Now, Harry," said Lockhart. "When Draco points his wand at you, you do this."

He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it. Snape smirked as Lockhart quickly picked it up, saying, "Whoops - my wand is a little overexcited-"

Snape moved closer to Malfoy, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Malfoy smirked, too. Harry looked up nervously at Lockhart and said, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"

Gienah, Ron and Hermione pushed to the front. Hermione looked nervous, Ron apprehensive, and Gienah looked like all she was missing was a seat and popcorn.

"Three - two - one - go!" Lockhart shouted.

Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, " Serpensortia!"

The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.

"Aww" Gienah moved forward, gesturing the snake to her.

"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it..."

"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward a beckoning Gienah. Ron and Hermione were pulling her back but Gienah put her hand out in front of her.

Harry wasn't sure what made him do it. He wasn't even aware of deciding to do it. All he knew was that his legs were carrying him forward as though he was on casters and that he had shouted stupidly at the snake, "Leave her alone!" And miraculously - inexplicably - the snake slumped to the floor, docile as a thick, black garden hose, its eyes now on Harry. Gienah tutted and pulled herself out of Ron's grip.

Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look, and Harry didn't like it. He was also dimly aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls. Then he felt a tugging on the back of his robes.

"Come on," said Ron's voice in his ear. "Move - come on-"

Ron steered him out of the hall, Hermione and Gienah hurrying alongside them. As they went through the doors, the people on either side drew away as though they were frightened of catching something. Harry didn't have a clue what was going on, and neither Ron, Gienah or Hermione explained anything until they had dragged him all the way up to the empty Gryffindor common room.

Then Ron pushed Harry into an armchair and said, "You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm a what?" said Harry.

`A Parselmouth!" said Ron. "You can talk to snakes!"

"I know," said Harry. "I mean, that's only the second time I've ever done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once - long story - but it was telling me it had never seen Brazil and I sort of set it free without meaning to that was before I knew I was a wizard-"

"A boa constrictor told you it had never seen Brazil?" Ron repeated faintly.

"So?" said Harry. "I bet loads of people here can do it."

"Oh, no they can't," said Ron. "It's not a very common gift. Harry, this is bad."

"What's bad?" said Harry, starting to feel quite angry. "What's wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn't told that snake not to attack Gienah"

"Excuse me!" Gienah stood up, hands in her hair. "The snake was not going to attack me."

"It's a snake!" Ron screamed. "It's in their nature."

"Ron, Gienah" Hermione sighed. "Harry, that's not what we heard."

"What d'you mean? You were there - you heard me-"

"I heard you speaking Parseltongue," said Ron. "Snake language. You could have been saying anything - it was creepy, you know-"

Harry gaped at him.

"Harry… Harry!" Gienah was jumping up and down. "I understood you! You told him leave her alone."

Hermione gasped.

"Exactly!"

Hermione ran out of the common room, Gienah following her with a skip in her step. Harry and Ron just stared after them.

"I hate it when they do that." Ron grumbled, following after them to the all too familiar route to the library.

"I spoke a different language? But - I didn't realize - how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak it?"

Ron shook his head.

"D'you want to tell me what's wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Gienah's head?" he said. "What does it matter how I did it as long as Gienah doesn't have to join the Headless Hunt?"

"Being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent." Ron said quietly, unable to look Harry in the eye.

Harry's mouth fell open.

"Exactly," said Ron. "And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great-great-grandson or something-"

"But I'm not," said Harry, with a panic he couldn't quite explain.

"He lived about a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be."

"But Gienah understood it." Harry said, shaking his head. "And we're related by our mother whose muggle-born."

"Who's to say Slytherin's descendants didn't knock up a muggle or turn out a squib years back and magic skipped a few generations?"

Entering the library they saw Gienah pouring over a book surrounded by a dozen more with Hermione a few shelves away pulling out another dozen.

"Are you going to tell us now?" Ron said grumpily, grabbing a seat oppisite Gienah.

"If you can't figure it out yourself-" Gienah teased him.

"Hermione" Ron moaned at her when she came to their table, her face eclipsed by the books she carried though her bushy hair poked out from either side.

"Merlin" Hermione looked at Gienah with frustration as she gently began spreading the books out before her. "Gienah and Harry have both been hearing the Slytherin's monster. We find out they are both parseltongue. SLytherin's monster therefore-"

"Is a serpent!" Both Harry and Ron said at once.

"Ten points to Gryffindor," said Gienah.

They spend hours and hours in the library, looking for the right profile for the beast.

"A serpent that can petrify its victim and move around the castle without being seen." Hermione kept on repeating.

That night they curled up near the fireplace, Hermione and Gienah with their borrowed books in hand and hot cocoa in the other.

Harry was sat by the window watching snow starting to drift past the tower window and wondered...

"Could I really be a descendant of Salazar Slytherin?"

"Harry" Gienah looked up at him. "If we are it doesn't matter, we know neither of us opened the chamber. Salazar may have hundreds of descendents. A thousand years is a lot to account for."

Herbology was cancelled the next morning due to the blizzard that had taken place the night before. The castle was darker than it usually was in daytime because of the thick, swirling gray snow at every window. Shivering, Gienah walked past classrooms where lessons were taking place, catching snatches of what was happening within. Professor McGonagall was shouting at someone who, by the sound of it, had turned his friend into a badger. Resisting the urge to take a look, Gienah walked on by. She had just returned from the owlery where she found Hermes fast asleep and sent off a letter to Sirius and Remus. She dared not tell either of them what was really going on in Hogwarts. She walked into the library searching for Hermione. Harry, Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be found and was about to turn to head to the bathroom when she heard her brothers name.

"You definitely think it is Potter, then, Ernie?" said a girl with blonde pigtails anxiously.

"Hannah," said the stout boy solemnly, "he's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a Dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue."

There was some heavy murmuring at this, and Ernie went on, "Remember what was written on the wall? Enemies of the Heir, Beware. Potter had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing we know, Flich's cat's attacked. That first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter. Next thing we know - Creevey's been attacked."

"He always seems so nice, though," said Hannah uncertainly, "and, well, he's the one who made You-Know-Who disappear. He can't be all bad, can he?"

Ernie lowered his voice mysteriously, the Hufflepuffs bent closer, and Gienah edged nearer so that she could catch Ernie's words.

"No one knows how he survived that attack by You-Know-Who. I mean to say, he was only a baby when it happened. He should have been blasted into smithereens. Only a really powerful Dark wizard could have survived a curse like that." He dropped his voice until it was barely more than a whisper, and said, "That's probably why You- Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord competing with him. I wonder what other powers Potter's been hiding?"

Gienah couldn't take anymore. Clearing her throat loudly, she stepped out from behind the bookshelves. If she hadn't been feeling so angry, she would have found the sight that greeted her funny: Every one of the Hufflepuffs looked as though they had been Petrified by the sight of her, and the color was draining out of Ernie's face.

"Hello," said Gienah. "That's my brother you're slandering. Harry was telling the snake to leave me alone,"

Gienah holding the bridge of her nose asked earnestly "Why would he want to attack his own sister?"

Ernie bit his white lips and then, taking a deep breath, said, "We were all there. We saw what happened."

"I'm his sister!" said Gienah.

"Are you really?" Ernie looked closely at Gienah. "No one ever heard of the girl-who-lived. Looking for a bit of that Potter glory, Black"

Gienah punched him in the nose. Ernie fell back and was held up by the Hufflepuff's who glared at her.

"The Potter glory which has him accused of defeating the dark lord and trying to replace him years later?" Gienah laughed maniacally.

"You're mad!" Ernie was holding his bleeding nose. "The both of you- and in case you're getting ideas, I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood's as pure as anyone's, so-"

Gienah whipped out her wand and pressed it into his chest.

"Our mother was a muggle born you half-wit, I have muggle friends from when I went to a muggle school!" Gienah almost shrieked these words out. "- I don't care give a flying hippogriff what sort of blood you've got!"

"I've heard he hated those Muggles her lived with," said Ernie swiftly.

"Yeah well, the Dursley's were scum" growled Gienah. "I reckon you're pretty half-witted but I don't see anyone accusing me of wanting the world rid of Hufflepuffs."

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the library, earning herself a reproving glare from Madam Pince, who was polishing the gilded cover of a large spellbook.

Gienah blundered up the corridor, barely noticing where she was going, she was in such a fury. The result was that she walked into something very large and solid, which knocked her backward onto the floor.

"Oh, hello, Hagrid," Gienah said, looking up.

Hagrid's face was entirely hidden by a woolly, snow-covered balaclava, but it couldn't possibly be anyone else, as he filled most of the corridor in his moleskin overcoat. A dead rooster was hanging from one of his massive, gloved hands.

"All righ', Gen?" he said, pulling up the balaclava so he could speak. "Why aren't yeh in class?"

"Canceled," said Gienah, getting up. "What're you doing in here?"

Hagrid held up the limp rooster.

"Second one killed this term," he explained. "It's either foxes or a Blood-Suckin Bugbear, an'I need the Headmaster's permission ter put a charm around the hen coop."

He peered more closely at Gienah from under his thick, snowflecked eyebrows.

"Yeh sure yeh're all righ'? Yeh look all hot an'bothered-"

Gienah couldn't bring himself to repeat what Ernie and the rest of the Hufflepuffs had been saying about Harry.

"It's nothing," she said.

She walked off, her mind still full of what Ernie had said about her. Potter glory.

Gienah stamped up the stairs and turned along another corridor, which was particularly dark; the torches had been extinguished by a strong, icy draft that was blowing through a loose windowpane. She was halfway down the passage when she tripped headlong over something lying on the floor.

She turned to squint at what he'd fallen over and felt as though his stomach had dissolved.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was lying on the floor, rigid and cold, a look of shock frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. And that wasn't all. Next to him was another figure, the strangest sight Gienah had ever seen.

It was Nearly Headless Nick, no longer pearly-white and transparent, but black and smoky, floating immobile and horizontal, six inches off the floor. His head was half off and his face wore an expression of shock identical to Justin's.

Gienah got to her feet, her breathing fast and shallow, her heart doing a kind of drumroll against her ribs. She looked wildly up and down the deserted corridor and saw a line of spiders scuttling as fast as they could away from the bodies. The only sounds were the muffled voices of teachers from the classes on either side.

She could run, and no one would ever know she had been there. As she stood there, a door right next to her opened with a bang. Peeves the Poltergeist came shooting out.

"Why, it's mad wee Black!" cackled Peeves. "What's Black up to? Why's Black lurking-"

Peeves stopped, halfway through a midair somersault. Upside down, he spotted Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. He flipped the right way up, filled his lungs and, before Gienah could stop him, screamed, "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!"

Crash - crash - crash - door after door flew open along the corridor and people flooded out. For several long minutes, there was a scene of such confusion that Justin was in danger of being squashed and people kept standing in Nearly Headless Nick. Gienah found herself pinned against the wall as the teachers shouted for quiet. Professor McGonagall came running, followed by her own class, one of whom still had black-and-white-striped hair. She used her wand to set off a loud bang, which restored silence, and ordered everyone back into their classes. No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat than Ernie the Hufflepuff arrived, panting, on the scene.

"Caught in the act!" Ernie yelled, his face stark white, pointing his finger dramatically at Gienah.

"That will do, Macmillan!" said Professor McGonagall sharply.

Peeves was bobbing overhead, now grinning wickedly, surveying the scene; Peeves always loved chaos. As the teachers bent over Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, examining them, Peeves broke into song:

"Oh, Black, you nutter, mad as your father, oh, lookie what ya done, You're killing off'students, you think it's good fun-"

"He was cleared of all charges!" Gienah was furious. "I'll curse you into the underworld Peeves!"

"That's enough Peeves, Black!" barked Professor McGonagall, and Peeves zoomed away backward, with his tongue out at Gienah who was disarmed by the professor.

"My father is innocent!" She screamed after the students that loitered from a distance.

"Black!"

"Professor," said Gienah at once, "You can't believe-"

"This is out of my hands, Black," said Professor McGonagall curtly.

They marched in silence around a corner and she stopped before a large and extremely ugly stone gargoyle.

"Lemon drop!" she said. This was evidently a password, because the gargoyle sprang suddenly to life and hopped aside as the wall behind him split in two. As she and Professor McGonagall stepped onto it, Gienah heard the wall thud closed behind them. They rose upward in circles, higher and higher, until at last, slightly dizzy, Gienah saw a gleaming oak door ahead, with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin.

They stepped off the stone staircase at the top, and Professor McGonagall rapped on the door. It opened silently and they entered. Professor McGonagall told Gienah to wait and left her there, alone.

It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat - the Sorting Hat.

Turning she saw she wasn't alone after all. Standing on a golden perch behind the door was a decrepit-looking bird that resembled a half-plucked turkey. Gienah stared at it and the bird looked balefully back, making its gagging noise again. Gienah thought it looked very ill. Its eyes were dull and, even as Gienah watched, a couple more feathers fell out of its tail.

The bird burst into flames and Gienah gasped.

"A phoenix" she murmured.

The bird, meanwhile, had become a fireball; it gave one loud shriek and next second there was nothing but a smouldering pile of ash on the floor.

The office door opened. Dumbledore came in, looking very somber.

"Professor," Gienah gasped. "Your bird-"

"About time, too," he said. "He's been looking dreadful for days; I've been telling him to get a move on."

Gienah looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one.

"It's a shame you had to see him on a Burning Day," said Dumbledore, seating himself behind his desk. "He's really very handsome most of the time, wonderful red and gold plumage. Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets."

In the shock of Fawkes catching fire, Gienah had forgotten what she was there for, but it all came back to her as Dumbledore settled himself in the high chair behind the desk and fixed Gienah with his penetrating, light-blue stare.

Before Dumbledore could speak another word, however, the door of the office flew open with an almighty bang and Hagrid burst in, a wild look in his eyes, his balaclava perched on top of his shaggy black head and the dead rooster still swinging from his hand.

"It wasn' Gienah, Professor Dumbledore!" said Hagrid urgently. "I was talkin'ter her seconds before that kid was found, she never had time, sir-"

Dumbledore tried to say something, but Hagrid went ranting on, waving the rooster around in his agitation, sending feathers everywhere.

"it can't've bin her, I'll swear it in front o'the-."

"Hagrid, I-"

"- yeh've got the wrong girl, sir, I know Gienah never-"

"Hagrid!" said Dumbledore loudly. "I do not think that Gienah attacked those people."

"Oh," said Hagrid, the rooster falling limply at his side. "Right. I'll wait outside then, Headmaster."

And he stomped out looking embarrassed.

Gienah waited while Dumbledore considered her, the tips of his long fingers together.

"I must ask you, Gienah, whether there is anything you'd like to tell me," he said gently. "Anything at all."

"No," said Gienah. "There isn't anything, Professor..."

The double attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick turned what had hitherto been nervousness into real panic. Curiously, it was Nearly Headless Nick's fate that seemed to worry people most. What could possibly do that to a ghost? people asked each other; what terrible power could harm someone who was already dead? There was almost a stampede to book seats on the Hogwarts Express so that students could go home for Christmas.

"At this rate, we'll be the only ones left," Ron told Harry and Hermione. "Us, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. What a jolly holiday it's going to be."

Crabbe and Goyle, who always did whatever Malfoy did, had signed up to stay over the holidays, too. But Harry was glad that most people were leaving. He was tired of people skirting around him and Gienah in the corridors, as though they were about to sprout fangs or spit poison; tired of all the muttering, pointing, and hissing as he passed.

Fred and George, however, found all this very funny. They went out of their way to march ahead of Harry and Gienah down the corridors, shouting, "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through..."

Gienah indulged them. Hissing at Slytherin's as they passed. Malfoy looked peeved at her behaviour. Once she hissed to revealed a forked tongue and Malfoy blinked, his face drained of blood and ran for it. Turning Ron looked at her blankly. She shrugged.

Percy was deeply disapproving of this behavior.

"It is not a laughing matter," he said coldly.

"Oh, get out of the way, Percy," said Fred. "Gienah in a hurry."

"Yeah, she's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with her fanged servant," said George, chortling.

Ginny didn't find it amusing either.

"Oh, don't," she wailed every time Fred asked Harry and Gienah loudly who they were planning to attack next, or when George pretended to ward Gienah off with a large clove of garlic when they met.

Gienah sat on the train in a compartment with Ginny thinking about whether Hermione would find anything out from Malfoy. Though doubtful, she was hopeful.

"You're always writing in that diary of yours Gin" Gienah sighed as she looked at her red haired friend. Ginny stopped scrawling and looked at her a little fearfully.

"Ginny, I'm your friend" Gienah moves to sit beside her but Ginny shut her diary. "You need to trust me."

Ginny nodded.

"Looking forward to Egypt?" Gienah smiled at her kindly, hoping it would cheer her up.

"I suppose." Ginny shrugged.

"Haven't you missed Bill?" Ginny asked curiously. "Ron said you and Bill were inseparable when you were younger."

"Well, he's in Egypt now." Ginny said. "I never felt close to any of my brothers."

"Oh" Gienah frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that Ginny."

"I've never felt close to anyone to be honest Gienah." She said sadly. "I'm not normal."

"Who wants to be normal?" Gienah snorted. "Ginny you just need a little confidence and the world will see the feisty, kind, funny girl Hermione and I see."

"You think I'm kind?" Ginny smiled a little.

"You are the most compassionate person I know Ginny." Gienah said honestly. "You mourned Mrs Norris for Merlin's sake!"

Ginny chuckled.

"I'm going to slay that monster Ginny, just you see."

Ginny gulped but Gienah was too busy staring ahead, a mad glint in her eye.

Lupin came to collect her from the train station. Gienah inhaled taking in the familiar scent of tobacco and old dusty books.

"Dad" Gienah beamed at him. "Did you know you smell of tobacco and old dusty books?"

Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"Not a bloodthirsty werewolf?"

Gienah laughed.

"Sirius couldn't come and get you love. He's swamped at work." Lupin explained as they walked to Diagon Alley.

"How is Ethalinda?" Gienah asked.

"Her and Draco are getting along well."

"Any new creatures?"

"Actually we've managed to attract a herd of centaurs" Lupin said.

"No!"

"They were being forced out of Merseyside forest and asked Sirius for permission to settle in the woods seeing as we have a healthy magical habitat. Sirius was over the moon. But they strictly said in no way would they be considered a part of the safari. They didn't belong to a carnival."

"Incredible." Gienah sighed thinking of her first and last kiss with the blue-eyed centaur.

"How is Harry?"

"He had a potions-urm project he couldn't abandon but he said to send his love" Gienah said quickly. Lupin looked at her a little suspiciously but she went on.

"I'm starving dad. What's for dinner?"

Lupin perked up and started detailing his concoctions for the evening ahead.

Charlie Weasley and a young woman followed after Sirius that evening. Sirius ran to Gienah and lifted her up off the ground.

"My favourite daughter!" He swung her around before encasing her in a firm hug.

"Your only daughter." Gienah choked out, her breathing restricted. "Unless- you're not- telling me- something."

"You're killing her." Lupin remonstrated as he placed the spaghetti on the table.

"God, it gets so dull with these grown ups I tell you love," Sirius sat down and poured everyone a drink. "I can't believe Harry, the little tyke."

"How's school?" Charlie smiled widely at her.

"Oh… same old." Gienah said truthfully. What with first year and dealing with trolls and three headed dogs the second year really was the usual battling life threatening creatures. "Facing life threatening creatures and brewing polyjuice potion under Snape's hooked nose."

They all laughed. The young woman sat on the other side of Sirius and her laugh was as clear as a bell.

"Do you work at the reserve?" Gienah asked her a little bluntly.

"Oh no." Sirius said quickly. "Excuse my manners ladies. Gienah this is Lolita. We- we met in a business trip to India."

"Hello Gienah, I've heard so much about you." Lolita had a slight melodious Indian accent. She had straight black hair and hazel eyes. Her skin was a golden brown. She had a golden hoop piercing on her nose and henna tattoos down her left arm. There was no doubt about it. She was an exotic beauty.

"I've heard nothing about you." Gienah frowned at her father.

Sirius went a little red.

"Lolita is our expert on reptiles" Sirius muttured.

"Charlie" Gienah stared at Lolita. "Did you have to sleep with dad for the job too?"

"Out!" Sirius stood up and hissed at his daughter. "Your bedroom young lady!"

"You can't play father with me." Gienah glared back at him. "Did he tell you he spent most of his life in Azkaban?"

Lolita just looked frantically around her. Not knowing what to say. Charlie held her hand and just shook his head.

"Gienah." Lupin said quietly. "Apologize to our guest or remove yourself from the dining room."

Gienah stared at Lupin and when he didn't flinch she slammed the door on her way out. In her bedroom she threw the frame of Sirius and her across the room. The glass shattered. Gienah screamed into her pillow. Angry tears falling from her eyes.

Hours later Lupin knocked on her bedroom door. She didn't answer but he came in anyway. Lupin picked up the frame and repaired the glass with a wave of his hand. He went to sit by Gienah on the bed, her face muffled by the pillow.

"Gienah" Lupin said softly.

Gienah didn't respond.

"However you felt about your father's new relationship you had no right insulting her at the table."

Gienah sat up and looked at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Why didn't he tell me?"

"With the way you responded downstairs can you blame him?"

"Are they in love?"

"That was her first time around for dinner." Lupin said after some thought. "Your father is terrified of dating but he likes her very much."

"I don't like her." She muttered.

"You barely met her" Lupin chuckled.

Another knock came from the door. Gienah sighed and called "Come in."

Sirius stood at the door nervously, looking at Gienah intensely.

'I'll leave you two to talk." Lupin said quietly, patted Sirius on the back and left.

"Sorry-" They both said at once. Sirius laughed and came to sat next to her.

"I only just got you back" Gienah said, her eyes cloudy with tears once more.

"And you don't have to share me with anyone sweetheart." Sirius wrapped his arms around his daughter. "

"Do you love her?"

"I- I like her very much." Sirius confessed. "And that terrifies me."

"Dad said." Gienah chuckled. "Why?"

"I've been in Azkaban for the last ten odd years" Sirius said. "I haven't been with a woman in a decade."

"You're still handsome." Gienah pulled at his hair teasingly.

"And- to be truthful I don't think I've ever been in love." Sirius continued. "I thought maybe later, one day, I'll meet a woman and she'll make me grow up like Lily made James grow up. I grew up alright but it wasn't a woman."

Sirius smiled at her.

"You were born and became my life." Sirius said. "But now- I get lonely Gienah. I wonder what it must be like to really love."

"I don't want to be selfish." Gienah sighed. "You can date- Lolita- if you want to."

"Really?"

"Just next time, don't keep me in the dark." Gienah said warningly.

"Will you apologize to her? She'll be around a lot." Sirius pleaded.

Gienah nodded, looking a little embarrassed.

"Good night love." Sirius kissed her on the forehead.

"Night dad."

Gienah lay in bed for a few hours, unable to fall asleep. She tried reading but couldn't focus on the words. She felt anxious. Suddenly she felt out of place and longed to be back at Hogwarts. Walking to her desk she pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote to Harry, Hermione and Ron.

The next morning she woke up to Sirius's awful singing. Yawning she changed into a simple t-shirt and dark jeans. Lupin had already made a full breakfast spread. Gienah kissed her father good morning and filled her plate with crumpets and drizzled oozings of honey.

"We didn't talk about the school last night" Gienah said to Lupin who was reading the Daily Prophet with a frown on his face. "Dad".

"Sorry love." Lupin sighed. "There's a missing werewolf by the name of Marcus Blott. I knew him back in the day. We were outcasts together in a pack in France."

"Marcus Blott…" Gienah wondered why the name was familiar. "As in Flourish and Blotts?"

"Hmm" Lupin sipped his coffee. "His father disowned him and he couldn't find a job in Britain so thought he'd try his luck in France. Decent chap."

"Wonder what happened to him." Gienah took the paper and read the small article. "Whose Carmichael?"

Lupin shuddered and his eyes went blank. Sirius had just walked in and read the paper over his shoulder.

"The biggest baddest wolf hunter out there." Sirius said grimly.

"But- but slaying magical beings is forbidden. It's illegal." Gienah protested.

"It would be- of werewolves were considered beings." Lupin said quietly.

"What?!" Gienah got to her feet, her hair blazing, her eyes resembling slits.

Sirius put a comforting hand on her shoulder and sat her down.

"How did you manage to start a school?" Gienah said in disbelief. "If they consider you inhuman?"

"I- I go by a false name." Lupin confessed. "Sirius helped make up a whole history for my brother Romulus Lupin."

Sirius sniggered.

"But what if your caught?" Gienah said seriously. "Carmichael will come after you!"

"I won't be caught." Lupin assured her.

"You can't know that!" Gienah slammed her hand on the table.

"How bad is it that I actually missed her dulcet tones." Came Charlie Weasley's voice from the doorway.

"Oh hey Charlie." Gienah calmed down and smiled at the wizard.

"Hey Gienah." Charlie had a twinkle in his eye. "How are you this fine morning?"

"Peachy." Gienah grumbled.

"Up for feeding some nifflers?" Charlie asked her.

Gienah finished her orange juice and followed him out to the reserve. Twenty minutes later they were by the greenhouses. Gienah cooed at the feathered creatures with their long snouts.

"How's Ginny settling in?" Charlie asked. "Mum said she rarely writes."

"She- I can't explain Charlie." Gienah sighed. "She hasn't made any friends and she's pushed Luna away. Me and Hermione are the only girls she talks to and that's because we refuse to give up. Last summer she was shy but she and Luna were close. Now- it's like she's - suffering."

"Ron never mentioned all this." Charlie looked at her, his eyes full of concern. "She was so excited about Hogwarts."

"I'm doing my best." Gienah promised him. "Maybe a holiday is just what she needs."

"Yeah" said Charlie faintly. "Bill's always been close to Ginny."

"Maybe write to her more often?" Gienah suggested as she poured pelts onto the ground. The nifflers surrounded her as she fed the baby niffler with her hand.

"I'll do that." Charlie sat down next to her and grabbed another infant. "How was your game against Slytherin?"

Gienah groaned.

"Malfoy's father brought the whole team Nimbus 2001s!" Gienah shook her head. "It was a miracle we won. We're working on raising funds for the chasers. They're stuck on Comets."

"Why don't you ask your dad?" Charlie said.

"Because I refuse to lower to his level" Gienah said with her head held high.

Charlie chuckled at the dark haired witch and she gave him a small smile.

On Christmas morning she woke up shivering. The cold had settled leaving the grounds icy. Gienah worried about their many creatures, hoping they had warm shelter. She ran downstairs and opened Sirius's bedroom. Gienah's jaw dropped. Lolita was kissing her father naked. Naked! She shut the door quietly and shivered.

Going down another flight she knocked this time. Lupin growled. Gienah chuckled and opened the door and pounced on his bed.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Humbug." Lupin muttered putting his head under the pillow.

"Presents!" Gienah laughed and pulled him out of bed. Grabbing his robe she dragged him downstairs and screamed for Sirius to come down and bring his lady friend.

Five minutes later Gienah and Lupin sat waiting for Sirius with a cup of tea. Sirius came downstairs without Lolita.

"Where is she?"

"Who?" Sirius said innocently.

"Your lady friend" Gienah accused him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I just saw-"

Sirius raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Nothing" Gienah grumbled. "Presents!"

"Go at it girlie." Sirius yawned as he sat on the sofa watching her rip the largest present.

Lupin had got her a fancy letter writing set complete with ink and a personal seal stamp with the Black family crest. Sirius had given her an old family heirloom. A signet ring sized for her little finger. From Andromeda she was gifted with three sets of dress robes, each more beautiful that the last. Harry brought her a pair of seeker's gloves. A book on Morgana from Hermione and a poster of the Holyhead Harpies from Ron. Surprisingly Charlie had gotten her a gift, a realistic model of a Burmese Chimera.

Gienah had brought Lupin a guide to Bewitching Witches and Sirius an album with its first few pages filled with photographs. Lupin helped her owl his classmates to gather photos from Hogwarts and his days in the ministry. The later photos were of the years he'd missed in Azkaban and then the few pictures they'd taken together in the summer. Sirius had actually cried making Gienah well up alongside him. Lupin had brought Sirius a complimenting gift along his album. A wizarding camera. Lupin grinned and took the first photograph on his camera of father and daughters first christmas. Lupin recieved tickets to his favourite opera from Sirius in the New Year.

They had a quiet Christmas, full of food and laughter. They played board games all day and watched movies on the television set Mr. Weasley gave Lupin for Christmas. Sirius wore a santa's hat all day and Lupin and Genah wore reindeer antlers.

The two weeks passed quickly. When Sirius wasn't working he spent his time with Lupin and Gienah. They went to wizarding duels and theatre, the muggle zoos and art galleries and museums. Restaurants all over Britain. Sirius had put off going out and enjoying catching up on ten lost years. Everywhere they went Sirius took his camera. Gienah kept Harry posted writing her letters on the back of the photographs and how much they missed him.

The day she was due back Lupin surprised her with an indulgent breakfast spread. Charlie joined them to send her off. The journey back she sat with Luna, Ginny and Neville. They exchanged presents. She gave Ginny her present, another three diaries that looked similar to the one she wrote in along with three fountain pens.

"They're a muggle invention that doesn't need ink." Gienah demonstrated. Ginny hugged her and for the first time she felt she might be getting somewhere with the witch. Luna have Ginny a friendship bracelet that warded dark magic and looked meaningfully at Ginny who squirmed under her gaze. Ginny hadn't expected anything so she had no gifts to give. Luna looked a little forlorn and Gienah found her disappointment understandable. The two girls had been friends for a long time.

Gienah gave Luna a pair of earrings with thestral feathers. Luna gave her a muggle photography book she found in a charity shop that had only images of non-magical creatures. Neville shyly gave her a plant pot with rose buds only just blooming. Neville explained that they were singing flowers he had sown himself. Gienah beamed at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Hermione had kept quiet about the polyjuice potion so Gienah sprinted to the Gryffindor tower. Fred and George parted to let her through yelling "Happy New Year to you too!" after her. They weren't in the common room. Nor were they in the library. Getting worried she went back to the common room to get Hagrids present and walked across the grounds with Hermes on her shoulder.

She knocked on the door and waited impatiently, tapping her foot so much Hermes pecked on her shoulder and perched on one of his pumpkins.

"Look who it is" Hagrid let her in and offered her a cup of tea.

"I was actually looking for Hermione, Ron and Harry." Gienah said with a tone of apology.

"The four of ya can't keep apart" Hagrid chuckled. "Reminds me of your dad's you four do."

"Well?" Gienah was less worried now that Hagrid seemed untroubled by the news of their disappearance.

"Hermione's had a little… well maybe its best you see for yerself eh." Hagrid scratched his beard. "She's in the hospital wing".

"What happened?" Gienah's pitch rose drastically. "She hasn't been-"

"No, nothin' like that" Hagrid waved his hand.

Gienah threw at him the large package and ran out the door. Hagrid opened it curiously and out fell two massive fur-lined boots made of Griffin hide.

At the far end of the hospital she saw Ron's red hair sticking out of the curtains surrounding one bed.

"Ron!"

"Genna!" Ron yelled and stood up only to be pushed back into his seat with the force of her hug.

"Genna?" She asked once she registered what he'd called her.

"Gienah is such a mouthful." Ron explained. "Hermione too actually."

Gienah rolled her eyes and then stared at the girl lying on the bed. Her face was covered in black fur. Her eyes were yellow and there were long, pointed ears poking through her hair.

"Hermione?" Gienah went closer to her and touched her bushy hair.

"Sorry I didn't write." Hermione sniffed. "You were right. It wasn't Malfoy. Complete waste of time."

"At least we know now." Gienah hugged the witch. "I suppose you used cat hair in the potion."

Hermione nodded glumly.

She turned and saw Ron was playing with the new chess set she had brought him against Harry. She approached Harry who politely accepted her embrace.

"Harry?" Gienah asked him quietly. "Didn't you like my present?"

Gienah had brought him tickets to the next Chudley Cannon's match.

"You kidding?" Ron said with a goofy grin. "The second tickets for me right?"

Gienah rolled her eyes. She knew Harry had never been to a quidditch match before and thought she'd buy those tickets, to be honest, because they were relatively affordable.

"I thought maybe you could go with dad." Gienah smiled.

"He's your dad, not mine." Harry said stiffly before standing up and leaving them three alone.

Gienah was stunned. She heard the door close and flinched.

"Harry urr, hasn't enjoyed the photos you've been sending him." Hermione said. "I think he feels like he doesn't really belong."

"That's ridiculous" Gienah waved her hand dismissively.

"Let him calm down" Ron shrugged.

"Right. Ok." Gienah huffed and sat down folding her arms.

"Back to square one." Hermione sighed.

"But at least we know the monster is a serpent." Gienah refused to be disheartened.

Hermione remained in the hospital wing for several weeks. There was a flurry of rumor about her disappearance when the rest of the school arrived back from their Christmas holidays, because of course everyone thought that she had been attacked. So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Madam Pomfrey took out her curtains again and placed them around Hermione's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen with a furry face.

Gienah, Harry and Ron went to visit her every evening. When the new term started, they brought her each day's homework.

"If I'd sprouted whiskers, I'd take a break from work," said Ron, tipping a stack of books onto Hermione's bedside table one evening.

"Don't be silly, Ron, I've got to keep up," said Hermione briskly. Her spirits were greatly improved by the fact that all the hair had gone from her face and her eyes were turning slowly back to brown. "I don't suppose you've got any new leads?" she added in a whisper, so that Madam Pomfrey couldn't hear her.

"Nothing," said Harry gloomily.

"I was so sure it was Malfoy," said Ron, for about the hundredth time.

"What's that?" asked Gienah, pointing to something gold sticking out from under Hermione's pillow.

"Just a get well card," said Hermione hastily, trying to poke it out of sight, but Ron was too quick for her. He pulled it out, flicked it open, and read aloud:

"To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award."

Ron looked up at Hermione, disgusted.

"You sleep with this under your pillow?"

But Hermione was spared answering by Madam Pomfrey sweeping over with her evening dose of medicine.

"Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you've ever met, or what?" Ron said to Harry and Gienah as they left the infirmary and started up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower.

Later that day as they walked back from Potions they heard a commotion on the second floor. A great flood of water stretched over half the corridor, and it looked as though it was still seeping from under the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. They could hear Myrtle's wails echoing off the bathroom walls.

"Now what's up with her?" said Ron.

"Let's go and see," said Harry, and holding their robes over their ankles they stepped through the great wash of water to the door bearing its OUT OF ORDER sign, ignored it as always, and entered.

Moaning Myrtle was crying, if possible, louder and harder than ever before. She seemed to be hiding down her usual toilet. It was dark in the bathroom because the candles had been extinguished in the great rush of water that had left both walls and floor soaking wet.

"What's up, Myrtle?" said Harry.

"Who's that?" glugged Myrtle miserably. "Come to throw something else at me?"

Harry waded across to her stall and said, "Why would I throw something at you?"

"Don't ask me," Myrtle shouted, emerging with a wave of yet more water, which splashed onto the already sopping floor. "Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me..."

"Who threw it at you?" asked Harry.

"I don't know... I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell right through the top of my head," said Myrtle, glaring at them. "It's over there, it got washed out..."

Harry, Gienah and Ron looked under the sink where Myrtle was pointing. A small, thin book lay there. It had a shabby black cover and was as wet as everything else in the bathroom. Harry stepped forward to pick it up, but Ron suddenly flung out an arm to hold him back.

"What?" said Harry.

"Are you crazy?" said Ron. "It could be dangerous."

"Dangerous?"said Harry, laughing. "Come off it, how could it be dangerous?"

"You'd be surprised," said Ron, who was looking apprehensively at the book. "Some of the books the Ministry's confiscated Dad's told me - there was one that burned your eyes out. And everyone who read Sonnets of a Sorcerer spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And-"

"All right, I've got the point," said Harry.

The little book lay on the floor, nondescript and soggy.

"That's Ginny's diary!" Gienah grabbed it before Ron could say another word.

But as she looked closer she saw the faded year on the cover. Fifty years old? On the first page she could just make out the name "T M. Riddle" in smudged ink.

"Hang on," said Ron, who had approached cautiously and was looking over Gienah's shoulder. "I know that name... T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago."

"How on earth d'you know that?" said Gienah in amazement.

"Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention," said Ron resentfully. "That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you'd wiped slime off a name for an hour, you'd remember it, too."

Gienah peeled the wet pages apart. They were completely blank. There wasn't the faintest trace of writing on any of them, not even Auntie Mabel's birthday, or dentist, half-past three.

"But Ginny's always writing in this thing," said Gienah.

"I wonder why she wanted to flush it away?" said Ron curiously.

Gienah turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a variety store on Vauxhall Road, London.

"Now why does Ginny have a muggle diary belonging to a T.H. Riddle from fifty years ago" Gienah said quietly and looked around to see if anyone else was around.

Gienah pocketed the diary.

Hermione left the hospital wing, de-whiskered, tail-less, and furfree, at the beginning of February. On her first evening back in Gryffindor Tower, Gienah showed her T. M. Riddle's diary and told her the story of how they had found it.

"Oooh, it might have hidden powers," said Hermione enthusiastically, taking the diary and looking at it closely.

"If it has, it's hiding them very well," said Ron. "Maybe it's shy. I don't know why you don't chuck it, Gen."

"I'm sure this is the diary Ginny's been writing in!," said Gienah.

"I saw her writing in her diary last night." Harry said. "Black leather, same"

"I only got her those in Christmas.."

"I wouldn't mind knowing how Riddle got an award for special services to Hogwarts." Harry continued.

"Could've been anything," said Ron. "Maybe he got thirty O.W.L.s or saved a teacher from the giant squid. Maybe he murdered Myrtle; that would've done everyone a favor ..."

But Gienah could tell from the arrested look on Hermione's face that she was thinking what he was thinking.

"What?" said Ron, looking from one to the other.

"Well, the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, wasn't it?" he said. "That's what Malfoy said."

"Yeah..." said Ron slowly.

"And this diary is fifty years old," said Hermione, tapping it excitedly.

"So?"

"Oh, Ron, wake up," snapped Hermione. "We know the person who opened the Chamber last time was expelled fifty years ago. We know T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago. Well, what if Riddle got his special award for catching the Heir of Slytherin? His diary would probably tell us everything - where the Chamber is, and how to open it, and what sort of creature lives in it - the person who's behind the attacks this time wouldn't want that lying around, would they?"

"That's a brilliant theory, Hermione," said Ron, "with just one tiny little flaw. There's nothing written in his diary."

But Hermione was pulling her wand out of her bag.

"It might be invisible ink!" she whispered.

She tapped the diary three times and said, "Aparecium!"

Nothing happened.

"I'm telling you, there's nothing to find in there," said Ron. "Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn't be bothered filling it in."

"I'm telling you there is something off about this diary!" Gienah said impatiently. "Ginny has been writing in it since September yet there is nothing written in it, it belongs to a boy who won an award fifty years ago. The same year the culprit for opening the chamber was caught. Ginny knows something and we need to be careful how we ask her."

"Why would Ginny have anything to do with this?" Ron scoffed. "She isn't a descendent of Slytherin."

"Gienah's right" Hermione said as she looked down at the name T. M. Riddle. "Somethings not right here."

"Let me take care of this." Gienah said, taking the book and putting it into her bag.

The sun had now begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again. Inside the castle, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no more attacks since those on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood.

"The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for repotting again," Gienah heard her telling Filch kindly one afternoon. "And after that, it won't be long until we're cutting them up and stewing them. You'll have Mrs. Norris back in no time."

They overheard Lockhart telling Professor McGonagall while the Gryffindors were lining up for Transfiguration "I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva," he said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. "I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him.

"You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing..."

He tapped his nose again and strode off.

Lockhart's idea of a morale-booster became clear at breakfast time on February fourteenth. Harry hadn't had much sleep because of a late-running Quidditch practice the night before, and he hurried down to the Great Hall, slightly late. He thought, for a moment, that he'd walked through the wrong doors.

The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. Gienah went over to the Gryffindor table, where Ron and Harry was sitting looking sickened, and Hermione seemed to have been overcome with giggles.

"What's going on?" Gienah asked them, sitting down and spooning confetti out of her porridge.

Ron pointed to the teachers' table, apparently too disgusted to speak. Lockhart, wearing lurid pink robes to match the decorations, was waving for silence. The teachers on either side of him were looking stony-faced.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all - and it doesn't end here!"

Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps.

"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Lockhart. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion!"

Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison.

"Please, Hermione, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six, said Ron as they left the Great Hall for their first lesson. Hermione suddenly became very interested in searching her bag for her schedule and didn't answer.

All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines, to the annoyance of the teachers, and late that afternoon as the Gryffindors were walking upstairs for Charms, one of the dwarfs caught up with Harry. Gienah and Ron sniggered as they stopped and blocked his exit.

"Oy, you! Arry Potter!" shouted a particularly grim-looking dwarf, elbowing people out of the way to get to Harry.

Harry tried to escape. The dwarf, however, cut his way through the crowd by kicking people's shins, and reached him before he'd gone two paces.

"I've got a musical message to deliver to Arry Potter in person," he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way.

"What's going on here?" came the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.

"What's all this commotion?" said another familiar voice as Percy Weasley arrived.

Losing his head, Harry tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf seized him around the knees and brought him crashing to the floor.

"Right," he said, sitting on Harry's ankles. "Here is your singing valentine:

 _His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,_

 _His hair is as dark as a blackboard,_

 _I wish he was mine,_

 _he's really divine,_

 _The hero who conquered the Dark Lord_

Harry would have given all the gold in Gringotts to evaporate on the spot. Percy Weasley did his best to disperse the crowd, some of whom were crying with mirth.

"Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now," he said, shooing some of the younger students away.

 _Dear father,_

 _You mentioned Lolita was an expert in reptiles and serpents. Could you ask her from me what serpent has a long life span and is able to petrify her victims. Just working on a school project._

 _Best,_

 _Gienah_

The next evening Gienah found a letter on her bed in her father's handwriting. Quickly she opened the letter and scanned the letter before opening her eyes widely. Basilisk. Where had she heard of a basilisk? Running to the library she brought out a book she and Hermione had considered reading but returned it seeing it was an ancient guide to highly mythical creatures. Feeling they were looking for something alive today they had stupidly discarded the heavy volume. _Most Macabre Monstrositie_ _s_. Gienah breathed heavily as she searched for the basilisk in its contents. Finding the right page she turned and read;

 _"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."_

Gienah felt the pieces come together. Spiders fleeing from the castle, the dead roosters… The heir has been murdering the roosters. They can speak parseltongue. They were caught the last time, fifty years ago yet- yet the beast was not slayn. Not unless another basilisk was born. Who was T.M. Riddle?

If the culprit was caught and the culprit was a student, they would have been expelled… Gienah returned the book and silently turned into a small sparrow. She flew to Filch's office on the ground floor. Transforming she knocked on the door. When no one answered she unlocked the door with a simple _alohomora_.

Filch had filed away every single piece of evidence in his lifetime and the last caretaker Ogg. Finding the files for 1943 she brought out a folder filled with files labelled alphabetically. Hearing footsteps she quickly shrunk the folder and stuffed it in her pocket before turning into a fly. Filch came into the office and started swatting her with a dustpan. Gienah was getting dizzy and her sense of direction was appalling. Transforming into a sparrow she made a run for it. Filch shook his head, muttered a few curses before bringing a mop out of his cupboard. He paid no attention to the open cabinet at the back of his office.

Gienah sat on her bed with her mouth wide open. Hagrid accused and expelled for harbouring an Acromantula which led to the murder of Myrtle Holmes. _Lies!_ An acromantula had no ability that could petrify a human being. T.M. Riddle was mistaken.

Gienah ran downstairs and dragged Hermione to the boys dormitory. Ron was lying in his bed reading a magazine and Harry was in the shower. Neville blushed when he saw Gienah in his stripy blue pyjamas. Gienah went into the shower and dragged Harry out with a towel wrapped around his slim waist.

"Gienah!" Harry blushed when he saw Hermione and slammed the door shut, appearing minutes later a little drier and wearing a tattered t-shirt and pyjama bottoms.

They all gathered on Ron's bed, shut the hangings and lit their wands. Casting a charm so they wouldn't be overhead Gienah began.

"Firstly the monster is a basilisk. Dad sent me a letter this morning confirming with his- employee. I found the description in the library. Long lives, petrifies its victims, kills with one look, spiders flee from it and the call of a rooster kills it."

They all widened their eyes at this new piece of information.

"Secondly fifty years ago they caught the wrong man. T.M. Riddle handed Hagrid over because he had an acromantula. But acromantula cannot petrify their victims. Hagrid was expelled but the real culprit was never caught. But- after the death of Myrtle Holmes the attacks stopped. Hagrid was famed and I can guess who was responsible…"

"Riddle." Ron spat out. "I knew he sounded too good to be true."

"But does that mean Riddle was the real culprit? Or that he's responsible now?" Hermione said worriedly.

"The diary holds the answer and- and Ginny knows how." Gienah said grimly.


	12. Little Hangleton

Chapter 16: **Little Hangleton**

The next morning Gienah asked Ginny if they could talk during lunch. Ginny seemed brighter than usual when she agreed. The weather was picking up so she met Ginny by the Black Lake with a picnic basket.

"You are looking really well Ginny, I'm glad you're finally settling in." Gienah started with a smile she could tell looked false because Ginny just looked at her.

Gienah handed her a blueberry muffin. Ginny just placed it on her lap.

"Is everything ok?" Ginny said quietly. Gienah didn't notice when Ginny looked around after asking her and her hand reaching for her wand.

"What do you know of Tom Riddle Ginny?" Gienah asked her, deciding to come straight out with it.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ginny replied smoothly, an innocent look on her face.

Gienah brought out Riddle's diary and looked closely for a flicker of emotion. Nothing.

"You've been writing in this diary since September." Gienah said slowly. "You tried to flush it away in the girls bathroom on the second floor. Why?"

"I've never seen that before." Ginny continued to look at her as she said it.

"I'm sorry Ginny but I don't believe you." Gienah sighed.

"Why would I lie?" Ginny asked innocently.

"Why would you indeed." Gienah murmured to herself. "How are your classes?"

That evening she told Harry, Ron and Hermione that she had denied knowing anything about the diary and Ron sighed in relief. Though he said to her afterwards of course she wouldn't know anything about the diary.

"But we still have a basilisk to deal with." Harry said, interrupting Ron and Gienah's little spat.

"How is it getting round the castle without being seen?" Hermione said with frustration. That's what I want to know."

"We still don't know who the heir is." Gienah grumbled. "I'm going to find out more about Riddle."

The second years were given something new to think about during their Easter holidays. The time had come to choose their subjects for the third year, a matter that Hermione, at least, took very seriously.

"...it could affect our whole future," she told Harry and Ron as they pored over lists of new subjects, marking them with checks.

"I just want to give up Potions," said Harry.

"We can't," said Ron gloomily. "We keep all our old subjects, or I'd've ditched Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"But that's very important!" said Hermione, shocked.

"Not the way Lockhart teaches it," said Ron. "I haven't learned anything from him except not to set pixies loose."

Hermione decided to pick every subject. Harry copied Ron. After asking her fathers for advice Gienah settled on Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes.

Gryffindor's next Quidditch match would be against Hufflepuff. Wood was insisting on team practices every night after dinner, so that Gienah barely had time for anything but Quidditch and homework. However, the training sessions were getting better, or at least drier, and the evening before Saturday's match she went up to her dormitory to drop off her broomstick feeling Gryffindor's chances for the Quidditch cup had never been better.

"Their hasn't been another attack since Justin." Hermione whispered to the three of them in Charms the day after Easter. "Don't you think sitting on information such as the monster of Slytherin is a basilisk and Hagrid was innocent are things we should let the headmaster know?"

"Dumbledore still doesn't know where the chamber lies." Gienah said. "The information is… incomplete."

"Oh please." Ron laughed. "You just want to find out for yourself."

Gienah winked at him.

"Gienah" Hermione calmed herself. "There are lives at risk."

"Then we should be putting more efforts into finding out where the chamber lies and who the heir was last time and who the heir is this time." Gienah hissed and turned her attention to Professor Flitwick.

Hermione looked at Harry and looked a little nervous. Ron shook his head and Gienah ignored them, her head racing with information.

That night Gienah took Harry's invisibility cloak and snuck into Dumbledore's office. She walked into a room she had noticed last time. A small indescript looking door. Luckily it was unlocked. Her breathing seemed to fill the room. She stopped and breathed deeply. Trying to forget the fact that if she was to be found she'd be expelled.

Once she entered and lit her wand she gasped. The room was much bigger on the outside. There were rows and rows of filing cabinets. Each row began with a year. Gienah walked down for a few minutes before she reached 1945. Walking down she searched for Riddle. Finally she found the file, on the top was his picture. When she opened the file she found it empty. Gienah turned it upside down. Nothing.

She slammed the cabinet close before remembering it was the middle of the night. Gienah ran out with her invisibility cloak and found Dumbedore standing by the window watching the moon in the night sky.

"Good evening Gienah."

Gienah gasped. She took the cloak off so she only had a floating head.

"How did you know?"

"I have wards in my office." Dumbledore turned and smiled at her, his eyes twinkling.

"Did you find the information you needed?" He asked her pleasantly, sitting on his armchair, his legged crossed.

"Urm, no sir." Gienah just stared at him, not quite sure how to act in these circumstances.

"Sherbet lemon?" Dumbledore offered.

"Thank you." Gienah took a sweet and sat down opposite him. Her head still the only visible part of her body but she hadn't noticed. Dumbledore smiled at the sight but thought not to say anything.

"Perhaps I may be able to answer the questions you seek." Dumbledore gazed at her. Gienah shivered as she felt he could look into her thoughts and pull away at all her secrets.

"I-I was" Gienah couldn't think of a lie quick enough. "Was looking for Tom Riddle's file sir."

"I see."

"I wanted to find out where he lived. Who his parents were."

"Any reason why?"

"No sir." Gienah blushed at the outrageous lie.

"I see." He said again, his fingertips pressed together and his half-moon glasses on the end of his nose.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle grew up in an orphanage. He was a half-blood. His parents were Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle of Little Hangleton." Dumbledore said off by heart. "I hope you understand this information is confidential".

"Yes- sir." Gienah looked at Dumbledore suspiciously. "Then why did you tell me?"

"Please return to your dormitory." Dumbledore turned to the skies once more. She had been dismissed. She felt a cool air between her and the headmaster and she ran out the door. Once she was in her bed she attempted to calm down. Failing, she opened the window and jumped out the window. Just before she crashed she closed her eyes and stretched her wings. Little Hangleton. Little Hangleton. She wasn't sure how they did it. But without thought she effortlessly flew and knew she was being led in the right direction. Hours later she found herself looking down onto a village. Soaring down she looked for sign of something living. She had to find the Riddle's. The face of the man in the photograph haunted her. He had black wavy hair, immaculately in place. Dark eyes and a pale face. He was incredibly handsome. The most beautiful man she's ever seen and something about his eyes were familiar.

Finally she saw an old man sitting in his front yard. She landed a few metres away before she transformed. Hesitantly she approached.

"Sir" Gienah called. "Sir!"

"Hello lassie." The old man smiled. "What ya doin' out in the dark?"

"I'm looking for the Riddle's sir, I'm an orphan and I - I ran away from the orphanage to find my father. They say he lives in this town. Please sir, I've travelled miles." She allowed her bottom lip to quiver, thinking it wasn't all a lie.

"The Riddle's you say?" The man pondered as he looked at her, he hobbled nearer on his walking stick, his light eyes a little hardened as he said the name.

"I'm sorry to say your family are dead." The old man bowed his head. "The manor is empty now, but you may want to talk to the ol' gardener, Frank. He's a nice man."

The old man directed her towards the manor. She thanked him and walked briskly towards the old house in the distance. The house was ostentatious, even in the distance. A great gothic building. As Gienah neared she shivered. It was the same warning she received when she held the diary, when she saw his face and somewhere else she couldn't quite place.

Gienah stared for a little while at the big house with its many windows and climbing ivy. It looked like something out of a muggle horror movie. A haunted house in the very flesh. Gienah walked forward and followed the path that winded round to the back of the house. There was a little house with a light flickering. Gienah knocked on the door with her fist finding no knocker. She heard a movememt inside.

"Who is it?" A deep voice called from behind the door, looking through a small peephole. Gienah went on her tiptoes and waved at the little hole. "What on earth-"

The door opened and the man looked down at Gienah.

"Do you know what time it is girl?" Frank had a walking stick and a grey shawl over his stripy pyjamas. His hair was silver and his eyes an icy blue.

"I'm sorry but my father is Tom Riddle and I wanted to know what happened to him."

"Come in girl" The old man sighed and showed her into his kitchen where there was a few basic necessities and a small round table with two chairs around it. An arrangement of flowers was placed on the centre.

"The Riddle's were murdered in 1943 by Riddle's brother-in-law Morfin Gaunt. Riddle, he claims, was hoodwinked by Merope Gaunt. The daughter of a- a tramp that lived in a shack just out of town." Frank was boiling a kettle of water and placed two mugs on the table. "Merope Riddle had a son but by then he returned to the manor, and lived the life of a recluse, became an alcoholic, the whole works. The mother and the son never returned."

Frank poured her a cup of tea and placed a jug of milk and a sugar bowl before her. Gienah thanked him as she stirred her tea.

"Now your father- they say he grew up in an orphanage and the mother died. Others say there was no son but if you say your father was a Riddle, he must have survived."

"What do you know of the Gaunt's sir?" Gienah asked him, her voice betraying her excitement. There was a glint in her eye that put Frank on edge. But her appearance deceived him. She was a young girl, looking to find her family…

"They were nasty and in-bred. Kept to themselves and had an obsession with snakes. A snake was hammered into their front door. It's still there I think but no one goes near it. It's surrounded by nettles and overgrown weeds and trees. A bad aura about the place. Merope wasn't a- pretty girl. Very plain. Tiny thing. Treated like an animal by her father and brother. I saw her once when Riddle returned. She was begging on her knees, crying her heart out, a sorry sight lemme tell ya."

"Can you direct me to the Gaunts?" Gienah asked him hopefully.

"They're all dead child." Frank sipped his tea. "No point rummaging around there. Your father did not grow up in this area. Your grandparents are dead. I'm sorry you couldn't find what you were looking for."

"Just one more thing sir." Gienah hesitated. "How did Riddle say he was hoodwinked?"

"At first, at first he said she drugged him with love potion, that she- she was a witch. Course noone believed him. Mad we all thought he'd gone. Eventually he sobred, well, became a drunk but said she wooed him, said she was pregnant- Not sure with what she wooed him with but there ya are-"

"Thank you sir." Gienah smiled at him and stood up. "I should return to the orphanage before morning. They will worry."

"I'm sorry I couldn't give ya good news child" Frank walked her to the door.

"Goodbye." Gienah waved her hand before she walked down the road and transformed. She searched for the shack, it took her minutes to find as she circled the small village.

It took Gienah a few moments before her eyes discerned the building half-hidden amongst the tangle of trunks. It seemed to her a very strange location to choose for a house, or else an odd decision to leave the trees growing nearby, blocking all light and the view of the valley below. Its walls were mossy and so many tiles had fallen off the roof that the rafters were visible in places. Nettles grew all around it, their tips reaching the windows, which were tiny and thick with grime

Approaching the shack she could sense the magic. The serpent was indeed nailed to the door. Knowing that she had learned what she needed to know she hesitated. Tom Riddle must be a descendent of Slytherin. He had opened the chamber fifty years ago and now somehow, the diary was involved in its reopening. What could she gain by entering the cursed house which radiated with dark magic.

"Gienah."

Gienah almost screamed, she turned and saw the tall figure of Albus Dumbledore. There was no twinkle in his eyes.

"A lone thestral is a strange sight indeed. Flying south in the middle of the night I was curious. I had Fawkes follow you." Dumbledore walked forward and stood by her, gazing at the house. "So you know that Tom Riddle was a descendent of Salazar Slytherin."

"I- yes, I guessed sir." Gienah felt her heart quicken. She had no fear of expulsion, but the qizard before her. Tall and imposing, the most powerful wizard in the world had caught her in a cursed shack, chasing a trail that was darker than she'd ever even heard of. This was the qizard that had defeated Grindelwald.

"Do not fear me Gienah" Dumbledore said kindly. "You have done what I have delayed for many, many years."

"Sir?"

"The beast that lies in the chamber is a basilisk." Dumbledore stated simply. "You and your brother can hear her voice when she is released to hunt her prey."

"If you know!" Gienah gasped. "How could you allow the school to continue, there must be experts which can hunt the beast, the chamber."

"You think I have not called upon them child?" Dumbledore's voice was severe for the first time that night. Gienah bowed her head in shame.

"I have tried and tried again." Dumbledore murmured, still looking at the shack. "There is dark magic here."

"Are you going inside?"

"Would you have if I were not here?" Dumbledore asked, a small smile on his lips.

"I- I- yes." Gienah confessed. "I would have."

"So would I" Dumbledore chuckled as he waved his wand.

Dumbledore began circling the shack, his wand tracing random movements in the air. To her eyes anyway. Gienah just watched as she worked. Finally he lowered his wand, sweating slightly at the exertion. He beckoned her forward as he opened the door.

Dumbledore held out his hand, asking her to stay by the door with no words. She looked around her. It was one open living area with moth-eater armchairs, a small kitchenette and two doors leading to what she supposed were to be the bedrooms. There were old portraits on the walls. An expensive looking rug. Small trinkets here and there that looked out of place in the debilitated shack. Dumbledore finally opened a cupboard and jumped back as a nest of snakes began to slither out of the cupboard, hissing threateningly at Dumbledore. They were thin but long. Poisonous green with red eyes. Not normal snakes.

" _Stop_ " Gienah stepped forward. " _Come away from the old man_."

The snakes almost froze and settled down, moving towards her instead. The largest one headed the party, watching her with interest,

" _My lady_ " The snake bowed its fanged head.

Dumbledore looked at her, his eyes glinting as he continued to look into the cupboard. There was a blanket and a lumpy pillow. Dumbledore flicked his wand and found a ring under the pillow. Dumbledore stared for a few moments.

"Headmaster?" Gienah called to him.

" _He musst not wear the ring, my lady_ " The snake warned. " _The ssnake-man has curssed the ring_."

"Professor" Gienah called tentatively. "The snakes say the ring is cursed. You must not touch the ring."

Dumbledore remained standing, entranced.

"Headmaster!"

Dumbledore turned sharply.

"Yes of course Ms. Black".

Dumbledore began weaving a spell with his wand, a bright light surrounded the ring before everything went dark. The snakes hissed, their red eyes glowing in the dark.

"Headmaster?" Gienah called weakly.

Dumbledore lit his wand and approached the ring, Gienah wanted to stop him, tell him it was to dangerous but he reached out with a handkerchief and took the ring quickly. The shack began to tremble. Gienah shouted as the snakes dispersed, finding any crack in which to escape.

"Fawkes!" Dumbledore shouted as hedived towards Gienah, grabbing her hand and in a flash they were gone.

Gienah opened her eyes and found she was in Dumbledore's office once more. A beautiful bird perched on Dumbledore's shoulder. Dumbledore stood and placed the ring on the desk and summoned a small vial of potion for her to drink. Immediately her heart rate settled, her breathing became less frantic and her eyes were brought into focus.

"I believe you have a match to win Ms. Black." Dumbledore waved his hand, the candlelights were extinguished and she was left in the darkness of his office. The moon offering her a little light to show her the door.

Gienah woke the next day to brilliant sunshine and a light, refreshing breeze.

"Perfect Quidditch conditions!" said Wood enthusiastically at the Gryffindor table, loading the team's plates with scrambled eggs. "Gienah, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast."

Gienah left the Great Hall with Harry, Ron and Hermione to go and collect her Quidditch things. People were now emerging from the Great Hall behind her, talking loudly, exiting through the front doors on their way to the Quidditch pitch.

"You'd better get moving," said Ron. "It's nearly eleven - the match-"

Gienah raced up to Gryffindor Tower, collected her Nimbus Two Thousand, and joined the large crowd swarming across the grounds. Her mind was far away. She had managed to get four hours of sleep.

The teams walked onto the field to tumultuous applause. Oliver Wood took off for a warm-up flight around the goal posts; Madam Hooch released the balls. The Hufflepuffs, who played in canary yellow, were standing in a huddle, having a last-minute discussion of tactics.

Gienah mounted her broom, all worries of the outside world fading in place of one golden ball.

"Three, two, one" Madam Hooch blew her whistle and fifteen broomsticks took to the air. Gienah was out for blood. She closed her eye and transformed her vision to a hawks, allowing her to seek the snitch without circling the pitch. The vision enabled her to zoom in with a quality a human eye could never achieve without equipment. She wondered if it would count as cheating. Unsure and not willing to ask and jeopardise the match her eyes turned back to her emerald green.

The Hufflepuff seeker was keeping an eye on her. She winked at him as caught him at it. To her surprise Diggory blushed!

Shaking her head she continued her search. Gryffindor had just scored their second goal and Gienah was in no mood to draw the game out. She lost some height and scoured the grounds, keeping her eyes on the skies as she passed.

"And Diggory is gaining speed! The seeker has found something Black hasn't seen!" Lee commentated and Gienah urged her broom forward, he was diving and she was soaring upward. Diggory was too close, but then, BAM.

"Weasley deters the snitch from being caught. The seeker is injured." Lee's voice was barely heard above the jeers and cheering.

Gienah cursed as she lost the snitch once more. Diggory called for time-out. Gienah headed towards the group huddle by the hoops.

"Cheers George" Gienah said seriously as he approached her, swaggering with his bat over his shoulder.

"Anything for a damsel in distress." He winked and laughed at loud. "Keep an eye on the snitch eh Black, not the seeker."

Gienah blushed and turned to Wood.

"60-10 with an injured seeker, it's looking good but Gienah, focus, get that snitch and we win."

Gienah nodded as they flew nacl to their positions. The whistle blew and the game continued. Gienah circled at the same height as Diggory and as she neared the Hufflepuff hoops she dove in an impressive speed, urging her broom to the ground. Behind her she heard Diggory on her tail. Almost there, almost there, and Gienah turned, clinging onto the broom for dear life as it tumbled left. Diggory however was less fortunate. He crashed into the ground with a loud crunch. Gienah shrugged as she took the time to search for the snitch.

Timeout was called again as she heard the stands chant her name. Gienah smiled but she hadn't won yet. Five minutes passed this time and they continued. The game became more brutal. Gienah dodged the bludger more than a dozen times. Losing her temper she charged at the beater, almost knocking him off the broom. His bat dropped to the amusement of the crowds but she mustn't get distracted, she needed to-

"And Diggory has the snitch! Hufflepuff win with 140-90. Hufflepuff catch the snitch. Bad luck Black." Lee Jordan calmly announced the results, the disappointment evident in his voice.

Gienah dismounted and ran into the castle so fast no one noticed she hadn't gone into the changing rooms and people had only just began to leave the stadium so the castle was eerily empty. Once she reached the tower she punched the wall, enjoying listening to the sound of her knuckles against the wall and the blood emerging from her open skin. She entered the shower and let the hot water scold her. Wrapped in her towel she walked to her desk and brought out Riddle's diary.

 _I know you killed her._

She had no idea why she felt victory in writing her confrontation, the discovery of the Headboys dark discretion. SHe was about to rip the page when the words disappeared.

 _Fifty years ago perhaps. But who opened the chamber this time?_

Gienah almost screamed.

"Ginny Weasley" She whispered, slamming the diary and stuffing it beneath her pillow. She cast a notice-me-not charm on it and walked across the corridor and up the stairs into the first year dormitory. She knocked, no one answered. Relieved she entered. They were commiserating downstairs she supposed.

She looked around and found the bed near the window with a poster of the Holyhead Harpies, the same one as hers and a photo with the whole Weasley family. She opened the drawer and found a black diary. One she had brought. She reached her hand to take it when she heard the door close. She turned and saw Ginny Weasley staring at her from across the room. Her wand was raised, and her mouth curled into a sneer.

"Did anyone ever tell you you were too nosy for your own good?"

There was a flash and Gienah fell to the ground.


	13. A Fraud Unmasked

Chapter Seventeen: **A Fraud Unmasked**

Hermione came running into the castle when she found out the team had not seen Gienah. As much as she loved the girl, being her friend was a little unpredictable to say the least. Harry and Ron were looking for her in the crowd but Hermione guessed she'd want a shower first. She didn't find her in the common room, nor did she find her in their dormitory. As she climbed down the stairs she heard a thump upstairs.

"Hello?" Hermione knocked at the dormitory before pushing the door open. Hermione jumped.

"Goodness Ginny!" Hermione sighed with relief. "You frightened me."

Ginny was standing by the door.

"Have you seen Gienah?" Hermione asked. "None of her teammates have seen her since the match-I'm afraid she might be somewhere sulking and-"

"No, sorry Hermione." Ginny said cutting her off.

"Want to help find her?"

"Actually I'm not feeling too well, I was going to go to the hospital wing-"

"I'll come with you, I was going to ask-"

"Really Hermione don't you ever shut up?!" Ginny slammed the door on her bewildered face.

Hermione walked down to the common room, her head in the clouds and her book limp in her hand. The Gryffindors were in no mood for celebrating so no one asked after Hermione. Harry and Ron were playing a disheartened game of chess when Hermione collapsed on the hearth next to them.

"Where's Gienah?" Harry looked around Hermione.

"No idea" Hermione said. "I've looked upstairs but- nothing."

"She probably needs some time to recover" Ron dismissed with a wave of a hand. "I know I do."

"With a basilisk on the loose?" Harry said darkly. "She can recover where I can keep an eye on her. I think Gienah actually is intent on capturing the beast herself."

Harry stood up and walked without looking back. But of course, Hermione and Ron followed.

The trio first looked in the library, then the hospital wing and finally to Hagrid's hut.

"Oh 'ello" Hagrid said a little gruffly. "Remembered me did ya?"

They looked guiltily at him.

"We've just been preoccupied with the chamber-" Ron started, not catching the warning look from Hermione and Harry.

"Wha' you think three meddling kids got doin' preoccupied with the chamber lad?" Hagrid stared down at him. "That no business for children tha'"

"Just a little bit of- investigating-"

"And it's the philosopher's stone all over again" Hagrid groaned. "It ain' your responsibility and it ain't no game. Let the grown ups deal with all of tha', go play quidditch, read a book if you fancy getting lost in some adventure. You hear me?"

They nodded glumly. Hagrid offered them a cup of tea but they replied they best find Gienah first, make sure she wasn't drowning herself in chocolate in the kitchens.

Gienah wasn't in the kitchens either though Ron took full advantage of their visit and came out with a mouth full of chocolate good.

"Shoooo goood" Ron offered Hermione half but looking at his mouth half stuffed with cake she politely declined.

As they considered where else she could be a magnified voice echoed through the corridor.

 _"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."_

Harry wheeled around to stare at Ron and Hermione. "Not another attack? Not now?"

"What'll we do?" said Ron, aghast. "Go back to the dormitory?"

"No," said Harry. "Let's go to the staff room. Why do I feel Gienah's somehow involved?"

They turned the corner, Harry threw on his cloak and they followed Professor Flitwick into the staffroom. It was a large, paneled room full of dark, wooden chairs. There was an ugly sort of wardrobe to Harry's left, full of the teachers' cloaks. "In here. Let's hear what it's all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out."

They hid themselves inside it, listening to the rumbling of hundreds of people moving overhead, and the staff room door banging open. From between the musty folds of the cloaks, they watched the teachers filtering into the room. Some of them were looking puzzled, others downright scared. Then Professor McGonagall arrived.

"It has happened," she told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."

Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"

"The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.

Professor Flitwick burst into tears.

"Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"

"Gienah Black," said Professor McGonagall.

Hermione felt Harry slide silently down onto the wardrobe floor beside her.

"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor McGonagall. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said..."

The staffroom door banged open again. For one wild moment, Harry was sure it would be Dumbledore. But it was Lockhart, and he was beaming.

"So sorry - dozed off - what have I missed?"

He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward.

"Just the man," he said. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."

Lockhart blanched.

"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

"I - well, I -"sputtered Lockhart.

"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick.

"D-did I? I don't recall-"

"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"

Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues.

"I - I really never - you may have misunderstood-"

"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last."

Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usually toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble.

"V-very well," he said. "I'll - I'll be in my office, getting - getting ready."

And he left the room.

"Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories."

The teachers rose and left, one by one.

It was probably the worst day of Harry's entire life. The three sat together in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, unable to say anything to each other.

No afternoon ever lasted as long as that one, nor had Gryffindor Tower ever been so crowded, yet so quiet. Near sunset, Fred and George went up to bed, unable to sit there any longer.

"She knew something, Hermione," said Harry, speaking for the first time since they had entered the wardrobe in the staff room. "I mean, she was a half-blood. Found out who the heir was or-"

Harry could see the sun sinking, blood-red, below the skyline. This was the worst he had ever felt. If only there was something they could do. Anything. The letter he wrote to Sirius and Lupin hours ago had not yet received a reply. They had only just found eachother. He had only just found her.

"Hermione" said Ron. "D'you think there's any chance at all she's not - you know-"

Hermione didn't know what to say. She couldn't see how Gienah could still be alive.

"Gienah was convinced Tom Riddle had something to do with it." Ron said firmly. "That the diary had the answers."

"The diary!" Hermione ran to her room. When she entered she felt the pieces come together. Looking around Gienah's side of the room she knew what she would not find.

"Well?" Harry and Ron were waiting frustratedly at the foot of the stairs.

"Someone's ransacked the room." Hermione whispered. "The diary's missing."

"But only a Gryffindor-" Ron started.

"Exactly." Hermione said, nodding nervously.

"Ginny." Harry stated simply.

"You don't mean to say she's the heir-" Ron shook his head in disbelief.

"We know how dangerous books can be Ron, you said it yourself." Hermione pointed out.

"Has anyone seen Ginny?" Harry asked.

"She must be in the chamber" Hermione replied. "I went to the dormitory and the girls said they haven't seen her for hours and everywhere else is out of bounds."

Ron put his head in his hands.

"So both our sisters are in the chamber" Ron said hoarsely.

"We know everything but where the chamber lies." Hermione paced in front of them. "Monster, basilisk. Heir, likely to be Riddle. Culprit, Ginny. Last murder, Myrtle- but where, where-"

"Did Gienah say she died _inside_ the bathroom?" Harry asked quietly.

"Mrs. Norris was petrified beside the bathroom." Hermione murmured.

"The entrance of the Chamber of Secrets has to be the bathroom!" Ron said aloud what the other two were thinking.

"Which means" Hermione jumped up and down with excitement "the way the basilisk is moving around the school is through the pipes. Of course!"

"I've been hearing that voice inside the walls..."

Harry ran out of the common room, Hermione and Ron close behind him.

"We'll go to Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a basilisk in there."

Darkness was falling as they walked down to Lockhart's office. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on inside it. They could hear scraping, thumps, and hurried footsteps.

Harry knocked and there was a sudden silence from inside. Then the door opened the tiniest crack and they saw one of Lockhart's eyes peering through it.

"Oh - Mr. Potter -" he said, opening the door a bit wider. "I'm rather busy at the moment -if you would be quick-"

"Professor, we've got some information for you," said Harry. "We think it'll help you."

"Er - well - it's not terribly -" The side of Lockhart's face that they could see looked very uncomfortable. "I mean - well - all right-"

He opened the door and they entered.

His office had been almost completely stripped. Two large trunks stood open on the floor. Robes, jade-green, lilac, midnight blue, had been hastily folded into one of them; books were jumbled untidily into the other. The photographs that had covered the walls were now crammed into boxes on the desk.

"Are you going somewhere?" said Harry.

"Er, well, yes," said Lockhart, ripping a life-size poster of himself from the back of the door as he spoke and starting to roll it up. "Urgent call - unavoidable - got to go-"

"What about my sister?" said Harry jerkily.

"Well, as to that - most unfortunate -" said Lockhart, avoiding their eyes as he wrenched open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a bag. "No one regrets more than I-"

"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" said Hermione. "You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!"

"Well - I must say - when I took the job -" Lockhart muttered, now piling socks on top of his robes. "nothing in the job description - didn't expect-"

"You mean you're running away?" said Harry disbelievingly. "After all that stuff you did in your books-"

"Books can be misleading," said Lockhart delicately.

"You wrote them!" Harry shouted.

"My dear boy," said Lockhart, straightening up and frowning at Harry. "Do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a hairy lip. I mean, come on-"

"So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?" said Harry incredulously.

"Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, shaking his head impatiently, "it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms. No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog."

He banged the lids of his trunks shut and locked them.

"Let's see," he said. "I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left."

He pulled out his wand and turned to them.

"Awfully sorry, boys, Hermione, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book-"

Harry reached his wand just in time. Lockhart had barely raised his, when Harry bellowed, " Expelliarmus! "

Lockhart was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it, and flung it out of the open window.

"Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," said Harry furiously, kicking Lockhart's trunk aside. Lockhart was looking up at him, feeble once more. Harry was still pointing his wand at him.

"What d'you want me to do?" said Lockhart weakly. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do."

"You're in luck," said Harry, forcing Lockhart to his feet at wand point. "We think we know where it is. And what's inside it. Let's go."

They marched Lockhart out of his office and down the nearest stairs, along the dark corridor where the messages shone on the wall, to the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

They sent Lockhart in first. Harry was pleased to see that he was shaking.

Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the tank of the end toilet.

"Oh, it's you," she said when she saw Harry. "What do you want this time?"

"To ask you how you died," said Harry.

Myrtle's whole aspect changed at once. She looked as though she had never been asked such a flattering question.

"Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish. "I died in this very stall. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then -" Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. "I died ."

"How?" said Harry.

"No idea," said Myrtle in hushed tones. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away..." She looked dreamily at Harry.

"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" said Hermione.

"Somewhere there," said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet.

Harry, Ron and Hermione hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face.

It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Harry saw it: Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake.

"That tap's never worked," said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it.

"Harry," said Hermione. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue."

"But -" Harry thought hard. The only times he'd ever managed to speak Parseltongue were when he'd been faced with a real snake. He stared hard at the tiny engraving, trying to imagine it was real.

"Open up," he said.

He looked at Ron, who shook his head.

"English," he said.

Harry looked back at the snake, willing himself to believe it was alive. If he moved his head, the candlelight made it look as though it were moving.

"Open up," he said.

Except that the words weren't what he heard; a strange hissing had escaped him, and at once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

Harry heard Hermione gasp and looked up again. He had made up his mind what he was going to do.

"I'm going down there," he said.

He couldn't not go, not now they had found the entrance to the Chamber, not if there was even the faintest, slimmest, wildest chance that Gienah might be alive.

"Me too," said Ron and Hermione.

There was a pause.

"Well, you hardly seem to need me," said Lockhart, with a shadow of his old smile. "I'll just-"

He put his hand on the door knob, but Ron and Harry both pointed their wands at him.

"You can go first," Ron snarled.

White-faced and wandless, Lockhart approached the opening.

"Harry," he said, his voice feeble. "Harry, what good will it do?"

Harry jabbed him in the back with his wand. Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe.

"I really don't think -" he started to say, but Hermione gave him a push with a hmph, and he slid out of sight. Harry followed quickly. He lowered himself slowly into the pipe, then let go.

It was like rushing down an endless, slimy, dark slide. He could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and turned, sloping steeply downward, and he knew that he was falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons. Behind him he could hear Ron and Hermione, thudding slightly at the curves.

And then, just as he had begun to worry about what would happen when he hit the ground, the pipe leveled out, and he shot out of the end with a wet thud, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel large enough to stand in. Lockhart was getting to his feet a little ways away, covered in slime and white as a ghost. Harry stood aside as Ron and Hermione came whizzing out of the pipe, too.

"We must be miles under the school," said Harry, his voice echoing in the black tunnel.

"Under the lake, probably," said Hermione, squinting around at the dark, slimy walls.

All four of them turned to stare into the darkness ahead.

"Lumos! " Harry muttered to his wand and it lit again. "C'mon," he said, and off they went, their footsteps slapping loudly on the wet floor.

The tunnel was so dark that they could only see a little distance ahead. Their shadows on the wet walls looked monstrous in the wandlight.

"Remember," Harry said quietly as they walked cautiously forward, "any sign of movement, close your eyes right away..."

But the tunnel was quiet as the grave, and the first unexpected sound they heard was a loud crunch as Ron stepped on what turned out to be a rat's skull. Harry lowered his wand to look at the floor and saw that it was littered with small animal bones. Trying very hard not to imagine what Gienah might look like if they found her, Harry led the way forward, around a dark bend in the tunnel.

"Harry - there's something up there -" said Ron hoarsely, grabbing Harry's shoulder.

They froze, watching. Harry could just see the outline of something huge and curved, lying right across the tunnel. It wasn't moving.

"Maybe it's asleep," he breathed, glancing back at the three identical faces. Lockhart's hands were pressed over his eyes. Harry turned back to look at the thing, his heart beating so fast it hurt.

Very slowly, his eyes as narrow as he could make them and still see, Harry edged forward, his wand held high.

The light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least.

"Blimey," said Ron weakly.

There was a sudden movement behind them. Gilderoy Lockhart's knees had given way.

"Get up," said Ron sharply, pointing his wand at Lockhart.

Lockhart got to his feet - then he dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground.

Harry jumped forward, but too late - Lockhart was straightening up, panting, Ron's wand in his hand and a gleaming smile back on his face.

"The adventure ends here!" he said. "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you three tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body - say good-bye to your memories!"

He raised Ron's Spellotaped wand high over his head and yelled , "Obliviate! "

The wand exploded with the force of a small bomb. Harry flung his arms over his head and ran, slipping over the coils of snake skin, out of the way of great chunks of tunnel ceiling that were thundering to the floor. Next moment, he was standing alone, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock.

"Ron!" he shouted. "Are you okay? Hermione!"

"I'm here!" came Ron's muffled voice from behind the rockfall. "I'm okay - this git's not, though - he got blasted by the wand-"

There was a dull thud and a loud "ow!" It sounded as though Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the shins.

"I can't believe he was a fraud" said Hermione with disgust. "I sent him a valentine!"

"What now?" Ron's voice said, sounding desperate. "We can't get through - it'll take ages..."

Harry looked up at the tunnel ceiling. Huge cracks had appeared in it. He had never tried to break apart anything as large as these rocks by magic, and now didn't seem a good moment to try - what if the whole tunnel caved in?

There was another thud and another "ow!" from behind the rocks. They were wasting time. Gienah had already been in the Chamber of Secrets for hours... Harry knew there was only one thing to do.

"Wait there," he called to Ron and Hermione. "Wait with Lockhart. I'll go on... If I'm not back in an hour..."

There was a very pregnant pause, "I'll try and shift some of this rock," said Ron, who seemed to be trying to keep his voice steady. "So you can - can get back through. And, Harry-"

"See you in a bit," said Harry, trying to inject some confidence into his shaking voice.

And he set off alone past the giant snake skin.

Soon the distant noise of Ron and Hermione straining to shift the rocks was gone. The tunnel turned and turned again. Every nerve in Harry's body was tingling unpleasantly. He wanted the tunnel to end, yet dreaded what he'd find when it did. And then, at last, as he crept around yet another bend, he saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.

Harry approached, his throat very dry. There was no need to pretend these stone snakes were real; their eyes looked strangely alive.

He could guess what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and the emerald eyes seemed to flicker.

"Open," said Harry, in a low, faint hiss.

The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside.

A.N. Please review! Paranoid people have lost interest! Morganna12: Thank you for reviewing, so pleased you're enjoying the story.


	14. The Basilisk and the Phoenix

Chapter Eighteen: **The Basilisk and the Phoenix**

He was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. His heart beating very fast, Harry stood listening to the chill silence. Could the basilisk be lurking in a shadowy corner, behind a pillar? And where was Gienah?

He pulled out his wand and moved forward between the serpentine columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. Then, as he drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall.

Harry had to crane his neck to look up into the giant face above: It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. And between the feet, facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair. Next to her was Gienah.

"Gienah!" Harry muttered, sprinting to her and dropping to his knees. "Gienah - don't be dead - please don't be dead -" He flung his wand aside, grabbed Gienah's shoulders, and turned her over. She seemed merely stunned. There was colour in her cheeks and he though he saw her eyelids flicker.

Harry turned to Ginny, her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn't Petrified. But then she must be…

"Ginny, please wake up," Harry muttered desperately, shaking her. Ginny's head lolled hopelessly from side to side.

"She won't wake," said a soft voice.

Harry jumped and spun around on his knees.

A tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry were looking at him through a misted window.

"Tom - Tom Riddle?"

Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face.

"What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. "She's not - she's not -?"

"She's still alive," said Riddle. "But only just."

Harry stared at him. Tom Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here he stood, a weird, misty light shining about him, not a day older than sixteen.

"Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly.

"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."

He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary Harry had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

"You've got to help me, Tom," Harry said, raising Ginny's head again. "We've got to get them out of here. There's a basilisk... I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment... Please, help me."

Riddle didn't move. Harry, sweating, managed to hoist Ginny half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again.

But his wand had gone.

"Did you see -?"

He looked up. Riddle was still watching him - twirling Harry's wand between his long fingers.

"Thanks," said Harry, stretching out his hand for it.

A smile curled the corners of Riddle's mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand idly.

"Listen," said Harry urgently, his knees sagging with Gienah's dead weight. "We've got to go! If the basilisk comes-"

"It won't come until it is called," said Riddle calmly.

Harry lowered Ginny back onto the floor, unable to hold her up any longer.

"What d'you mean?" he said. "Look, give me my wand, I might need it-"

Riddle's smile broadened.

"You won't be needing it," he said.

Harry stared at him.

"What d'you mean, I won't be -?"

"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," said Riddle. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you."

"Look," said Harry, losing patience, "I don't think you get it. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later-"

"We're going to talk now," said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand.

Harry stared at him. There was something very funny going on here ...

"How did Ginny get like this?" he asked slowly. "Why is Gienah here?"

"Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story."

"What are you talking about?" said Harry.

"The diary," said Riddle. `My diary. Little Ginny came across the diary this summer and I believe her life hasn't been the same since."

All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look in them.

"If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted... I had her retrieve something that belonged to me..."

"What d'you mean?" said Harry, whose mouth had gone very dry.

"Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter? Gienah Black did." said Riddle softly.

Harry's fists were clenched, the nails digging deep into his palms.

"Tell me."

"But she was a disappointment," said Riddle. "Became too close to them, to those meddlesome girls, to you even. Fell in love with you the same as Ginny and tried to dispose of it."

"Who are you talking about?" said Harry.

"Well, you see, her identity must remain hidden," said Riddle. "She is my only hope in rising again." His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and their expression grew hungrier.

"But enough of little girls and their failures" Riddle sneered at Ginny. "For months I have been fascinated with you. How is it that you - a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent - managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"

There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now.

"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time..."

"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter..."

He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

"You see?" he whispered. "I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

"You're not," he said, his quiet voice full of hatred.

"Not what?" snapped Riddle.

"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore-"

The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.

"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed.

"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted.

Riddle opened his mouth, but froze.

Music was coming from somewhere. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Harry's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size.

A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye.

The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle.

"Fawkes?" Harry breathed, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently.

"And that -" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat-"

Riddle began to laugh again.

"This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?"

"To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice - in your past, in my future - we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive."

"No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me," said Harry abruptly. "I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggle-born mother," he added, shaking with suppressed rage. "She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul-"

Riddle's face contorted. Then he forced it into an awful smile. "So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful countercharm. I can see now... there is nothing special about you, after all."

Harry stood, tense, waiting for Riddle to raise his wand. But Riddle's twisted smile was widening again.

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him..."

Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed - but Harry understood what he was saying ...

"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."

Harry wheeled around to look up at the statue, Fawkes swaying on his shoulder.

Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horrorstruck, Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole.

And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.

Harry backed away until he hit the dark Chamber wall, and as he shut his eyes tight he felt Fawkes'wing sweep his cheek as he took flight. Harry wanted to shout, "Don't leave me!" but what chance did a phoenix have against the king of serpents?

Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry felt it shudder - he knew what was happening, he could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then he heard Riddle's hissing voice:

"Kill him."

The basilisk was moving toward Harry; he could hear its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor. Eyes still tightly shut, Harry began to run blindly sideways, his hands outstretched, feeling his way - Voldemort was laughing.

Harry tripped. He fell hard onto the stone and tasted blood the serpent was barely feet from him, he could hear it coming.

There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above him, and then something heavy hit Harry so hard that he was smashed into the wall. Waiting for fangs to sink through his body he heard more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars.

He couldn't help it - he opened his eyes wide enough to squint at what was going on.

The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. As Harry trembled, ready to close his eyes if it turned, he saw what had distracted the snake.

Fawkes was soaring around its head, and the basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail thrashed, narrowly missing Harry, and before Harry could shut his eyes, it turned - Harry looked straight into its face and saw that its eyes, both its great, bulbous yellow eyes, had been punctured by the phoenix; blood was streaming to the floor, and the snake was spitting in agony.

"NO!" Harry heard Riddle screaming. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM. KILL HIM!"

The blinded serpent swayed, confused, still deadly. Fawkes was circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at its scaly nose as the blood poured from its ruined eyes.

"Help me, help me," Harry muttered wildly, "someone - anyone..."

The snake's tail whipped across the floor again. Harry ducked. Something soft hit his face.

The basilisk had swept the Sorting Hat into Harry's arms. Harry seized it. It was all he had left, his only chance - he rammed it onto his head and threw himself flat onto the floor as the basilisk's tail swung over him again.

Help me - help me - Harry thought, his eyes screwed tight under the hat. Please help me .

There was no answering voice. Instead, the hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly.

Something very hard and heavy thudded onto the top of Harry's head, almost knocking him out. Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it.

A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs.

"KILL THE BOY! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. SNIFF - SMELL HIM."

Harry was on his feet, ready. The basilisk's head was falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twisted to face him. He could see the vast, bloody eye sockets, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow him whole, lined with fangs long as his sword, thin, glittering, venomous-

The basilisk lunged blindly - Harry threw his whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth-

But as warm blood drenched Harry's arms, he felt a searing pain just above his elbow. One long, poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into his arm and it splintered as the basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor.

The Chamber was dissolving in a whirl of dull color. A patch of scarlet swam past, and Harry heard a soft clatter of claws beside felt the bird lay its beautiful head on the spot where the serpent's fang had pierced him. He could hear echoing footsteps and then a dark shadow moved in front of him.

"You're dead, Harry Potter," said Riddle's voice above him. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying."

Harry blinked. Fawke's head slid in and out of focus. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers.

"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

Harry felt drowsy. Everything around him seemed to be spinning.

"So ends the famous Harry Potter," said Riddle's distant voice.

If this is dying, thought Harry, it's not so bad.

Even the pain was leaving him...

But was this dying? Instead of going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus. Harry gave his head a little shake and there was Fawkes, still resting his head on Harry's arm. A pearly patch of tears was shining all around the wound - except that there was no wound.

"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him - I said, get away-"

Harry raised his head. Riddle was pointing Harry's wand at Fawkes; there was a bang like a gun, and Fawkes took flight again in a whirl of gold and scarlet.

"Phoenix tears..." said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course... healing powers... I forgot..."

He raised the wand ...

Then, in a rush of wings, Fawkes had soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap - the diary.

For a split second, both Harry and Riddle, wand still raised, stared at it. Then, without thinking, without considering, as though he had meant to do it all along, Harry seized the basilisk fang on the floor next to him and plunged it straight into the heart of the book.

There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Harry's hands, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then-

He had gone. Harry's wand fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it.

Then came a faint moan from the end of the Chamber. Ginny was stirring. As Harry hurried toward her, she sat up. Her bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Harry, in his blood-soaked robes, then to the diary in his hand. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face.

"Harry - oh, Harry - I can't believe how manipulative and selfish and evil he is-Tricked me-Said he wanted to be hear for me but the whole time- the whole time he was using me to drain my soul!"

"It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showing Ginny the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here-"

"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as Harry helped her awkwardly to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since I found- ever since Bill-"

Harry looked down at his sister, still alive, still breathing.

"How did Gienah get here?"

"I-I don't remember" Ginny blinked at him.

"Help me lift her."

Fawkes was waiting for them, hovering in the Chamber entrance. Harry and Ginny carried Gienah forward; they stepped over the motionless coils of the dead basilisk, through the echoing gloom, and back into the tunnel. Harry heard the stone doors close behind them with a soft hiss.

After a few minutes' progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rock reached Harry's ears.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up. "They're okay! I've got Ginny!"

He heard Ron give a strangled cheer, and they turned the next bend to see his eager face staring through the sizable gap he had managed to make in the rock fall.

"Ginny!" Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened?" How - what - where did that bird come from?"

"Gienah" Hermione's face went pale as she pulled Gienah through.

Fawkes had swooped through the gap after Gienah.

"He's Dumbledore's," said Harry, squeezing through himself. "She's breathing, just needs to get to the hospital wing."

"How come you've got a sword?" said Ron, gaping at the glittering weapon in Harry's hand.

"I'll explain when we get out of here," said Harry with a sideways glance at Ginny, who was crying harder than ever.

"But-"

"Later," Harry said shortly. He didn't think it was a good idea to tell Ron yet who'd been opening the Chamber, not in front of Ginny, anyway. "Where's Lockhart?"

"Back there," said Ron, still looking puzzled but jerking his head up the tunnel toward the pipe. "He's in a bad way. Come and see."

Led by Fawkes, whose wide scarlet wings emitted a soft golden glow in the darkness, they walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe. Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting there, humming placidly to himself.

"His memory's gone," said Ron. "The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself."

Lockhart peered good-naturedly up at them all.

"Hello," he said. "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"

"No," said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry.

Harry bent down and looked up the long, dark pipe.

"Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" he said to Ron.

Ron shook his head, but Fawkes the phoenix had swooped past Harry and was now fluttering in front of him, his beady eyes bright in the dark. He was waving his long golden tail feathers. Harry looked uncertainly at him.

"He looks like he wants you to grab hold..." said Ron, looking perplexed. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there-"

"Fawkes," said Harry, "isn't an ordinary bird." He turned quickly to the others. "We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart-"

"He means you," said Ron sharply to Lockhart.

"You hold Ginny's other hand-"

Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat into his belt, Ron took hold of the back of Harry's robes, and Harry reached out and took hold of Fawkes's strangely hot tail feathers. His other hand held Gienah's limp arm.

An extraordinary lightness seemed to spread through his whole body and the next second, in a rush of wings, they were flying upward through the pipe. Harry could hear Lockhart dangling below him, saying, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!" The chill air was whipping through Harry's hair, and before he'd stopped enjoying the ride, it was over - all four of them were hitting the wet floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and as Lockhart straightened his hat, the sink that hid the pipe was sliding back into place.

Myrtle goggled at them.

"You're alive," she said blankly to Harry.

"There's no need to sound so disappointed," he said grimly, wiping flecks of blood and slime off his glasses.

"Oh, well... I'd just been thinking... if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," said Myrtle, blushing silver.

"Urgh!" said Ron as they left the bathroom for the dark, deserted corridor outside. "Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!"

But tears were still flooding silently down Ginny's face.

"Where now?" said Ron, with an anxious look at Gienah. Harry pointed.

"I'll take Gienah to the hospital wing Harry." Hermione waved her wand and Gienah was drifting mid air. Harry nodded.

Fawkes was leading the way, glowing gold along the corridor. They strode after him, and moments later, found themselves outside Professor McGonagall's office.

Harry knocked and pushed the door open.

Gienah woke early the next day.

"Hermione!" she gasped when she saw her bushy haired friend standing over her, tears falling from her eyes as she smiled down at her.

"Ginny stunned me!" Gienah tried to get out of bed. "She's been opening the chamber this whole time, her and Riddle. Riddle's the heir of Slytherin!"

"Calm down Gienah" Hermione gently sat her back down. "Ginny wasn't in her right mind, Riddle was possessing her."

"And you believe her?"

She heard steps coming from the end of the room.

"Where's my wand?!" Gienah screamed at Hermione when she saw Ginny walking toward her, a concerned look on her face. "You evil bitch! Come to finish the job?"

"Gienah I'm so sorry" Ginny started whimpering. "Riddle was possessing me. I can't remember half the things I was doing, I would never ever harm you."

"Why should I believe you?" Gienah sneered.

"Because Riddle told me himself that he charmed her, manipulated her," came Harry's voice. "Have some mercy."

"Merlin's sake Harry!" Gienah attempted to stand up but was stopped by Hermione once again. "You're too noble for your bleedin' good. That girl is a liar! I asked her about that diary when she hadn't had it for months and she lied to me. I believed her because she'd got it down to a fine art. She's a bleedin' actress."

"Oy, that's my sister you're talking about" Ron yelled.

"How can you be sure?" Gienah pleaded with him. "Riddle might have addled with her brains."

Ginny sobbed softly, Harry pulled her away taking her hand.

"Listen! Harry stabbed the diary with a basilisk fang. The monster's gone. Riddle was Voldemort. He was using Ginny to go stronger and was about to kill her when Harry stabbed the diary. It's a dark artefact. He somehow put a bit of his soul in there and that's why he never died! Ginny must have lied because she was afraid or ashamed. I don't know why but she wasn't behind the attacks. She was being used. She's as much as a victim as you or Justin." Hermione was out of breath when she had finished.

"The fuck?!" Gienah looked at Ron incredulously.

"It's true Gen" he nodded.

"Riddle's Voldemort and Harry fought a basilisk?" Gienah moaned. "Where the hell was I? Why does he get all the fun?"

"Sounds like your daughter Sirius" came a dry voice.

Now Hermione had no way of keeping Gienah in bed. Gienah jumped at her father.

"We've just been to see Dumbledore." Sirius smiled as he hugged her next. "I got a number of stares walking here. Reckon a few fainted."

"Not funny" She grumbled.

"I come to see if my girls awake so I can comfort her that the bad snake-man won't get you and I hear you crying over the fact that Harry faced a basilisk alone?" Sirius shook his head. "Now I know how Charlus felt."

"I hope you know you're grounded." Lupin said seriously.

Gienah had been to several Hogwarts feasts, but never one quite like this. Everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night. Gienah didn't know whether the best bit was Justin hurrying over from the Hufflepuff table to wring her hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting her, or Harry, Hermione and Ron's four hundred points for Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running, or Professor McGonagall standing up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat ("Oh, no!" said Hermione), or Dumbledore announcing that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news.

"Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He has starting to grow on me."

The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences - Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told a disgruntled Hermione) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor. Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again.

Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Gienah, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Harry was getting very good at it.

The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped.

"All of you have to come and stay at the cottage for a week before school starts again." Gienah looked at Ginny especially.

And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.


	15. Summer

Chapter Nineteen: **Summer**

It was a hot day, the grounds were blistering, the sky a clear blue and the sun a white scorching ball. Every window in the Lupin cottage was open. Gienah and Harry were lying on the grass, an empty pitcher of lemonade empty by their side and half a platter of watermelon. The rinds were thrown to the hippogriffs which turned their noses at the decidedly non-meat food and returned to the shade of the trees.

"I hope you ain't planning on lying on your backsides all day" came a cheery voice from the distant, Gienah heard the footsteps coming closer and groaned.

"S'too hot Charlie!" Gienah complained. "Tell dad it's slave labour."

"We could take this to the ministry" Harry agreed. "Imagine the scandel".

"The boy-who-lived made a slave by ex-convict Sirius Black." Gienah nodded.

"Charlie Weasley arrested in aiding mass murderer." Harry added.

Charlie only laughed uproariously.

It was their sixth week of holiday. Most of their days were spent assisting Charlie on the reserve. Feeding, grooming, cleaning, healing. Gienah was becoming closer to Ethelinda and Draco. She was the only one who tamed them without using her wand. Other days she sat in the library, reading and studying Ancient Runes and History of Magic. Lupin was off on holiday and most days he spent in the library reading up on Werewolf laws and case studies. Most of the time he kept an eye out for his old friend Marcus Blotch. The ministry considered him a low priority case despite being an official missing person. Sirius taught her and Harry defensive charms and duelling skills, growing increasingly paranoid with the amount of trouble they found themselves in year after year. It wasn't very serious really. More fun, well, to them anyhow. They visited the Weasley's a few times and Luna was at the reserve most days so she stayed in their guest room when Xeno was off on his expeditions. Her and Lupin were becoming quite good friends. She helped him with her research when she wasn't talking to the centaurs who had an odd tolerance for the little witch. Their school lists had finally arrived and they'd owled Hermione and Ron to join them to Diagon Alley the next day.

"Hello" a dreamy voice was heard following Charlie's laughter.

"Hey Luna" Gienah yawned.

Luna came and sat in between Harry and Gienah and took a slice of watermelon. Biting into it, the juice fell down her mouth. Normally pale, the sun had even managed to make an impression on Luna. Freckles splashed across the bridge of her nose and her white-blonde hair was even brighter.

"Tegmine says the age of Uranus draws close once again. The new moons draw bright in the distance while our moon wanes."

"Urm, thanks Luna" said Gienah, still not used to Luna's revelations from the centaurs.

"I _gnorance is the night of the mind. A night without the moon by which to clearly see._ "

" _The stars have always moved above us and will continue to move, whether our sun falls or rises, our moon wanes or fades. Life is but a heartbeat in the cosmos_." Gienah quoted in return, unsure how else to respond.

Luna smiled, her silvery grey eyes twinkling much like a certain headmaster of theirs.

"Remus wants you three to join us for lunch. We made a selection of salads. Quite nice if I do say so myself." Luna tilted her head, deep in thought. Gienah and Harry managed to peel themselves off the ground and walk the half mile back to the cottage.

"I believe Remus will be handing the school to Mrs. Tonks and Ms. Creevey this year." Luna commented during their walk.

"He didn't tell me anything about that." Gienah frowned.

"No, nor I" Luna said.

Gienah and Harry just looked at eachother again. A common gesture in her presence.

"Perhaps I ought to have not said a word." Luna thought aloud. "Perhaps he isn't going at all."

"Ah" Charlie sighed. "I miss you kids when you're gone. S'not the same."

"I understand Charlie. I am oft missed wherever I go." Gienah said.

"What worries me is that she means it." Harry shook his head.

"Gienah is blessed and cursed to be loved and hated, her presence envied and despised, famed and legendary like most of her kind she will go down in history." Luna almost sang these words as she looked effortlessly to the burning sun still high in the sky.

Harry and Charlie smiled. Muttering something like that sounds about right. Only Gienah shuddered at the echo of her words, not missing a beat when she said like most of her kind. Could she be referring to her being a skin-walker? It would be a few years yet till she fully matured, a few precious years of humanity.

Gienah ran into the kitchen when she saw a mass of black hair lingering in the open doorway. Sirius was rarely home for meals, he was dead off his feet most days, sleeping in his free time. She hadn't seen him for the last two days.

"Gienah" He breathed in her scent, memorizing it for when she left. Cool, mountain air. His daughter smelt like freedom.

She released him, smiling up at him for a few seconds as he hugged Harry.

"Why you insist we eat this rabbit food-" Sirius grumbled as he looked mournfully down at the salad buffet at patted his toned stomach. "A man needs his meat."

Gienah pulled a face and swooped to kiss Lupin who was making a last minute dressing.

"Why haven't I seen you for the past three days?" Gienah put a hand on her hip.

"Two days mother." Sirius said with a smirk on his face. "Running the one magical safari in Britain is no easy ride love."

"So running a magical safari requires you to be out all night getting drunk with Xenophilius and Arthur?"

Sirius glared at Lupin with folded arms.

"Don't look at dad! He was the only sensible one."

"Godric, it's Minny and Lily all over again" Sirius groaned. "Listen love, the tables will turn once you're seventeen. I thought I could live a little on a Friday night."

"You're all middle-aged!" Gienah held the bridge of her nose. "You've lived!"

"I lived a life in Azkaban!" roared Sirius, now standing, his hands clutching the edge of the table.

Gienah glared at him and hissed "And don't I know it father."

Lupin slammed his hand down at the table. "Sit down" he said quietly. They both sensed the dangerous quality to his voice.

"One minute you're all kisses and banter, the next you're tearing at eachothers throats." Lupin continued in the same tone. "From now on settle your differences on your own time. No more arguments at the dinner table. Especially over something so trivial. Gienah, your father has every right to have a night out now and then. I understand you miss him but just tell him that. Sirius, you're the grown up. If she's being unreasonable, keep your head. If you can't keep your temper, leave the room, count to ten. Now for my sake can we get through the meal me and Luna have slaved over for the last hour and eat in peace!?"

Their was a vein throbbing on Lupin's head. Sirius and Gienah were hot tempered and too alike for their own good. Quick to anger but also quick to pacify. Lupin on the other hand was ever patient and so when he let go, blew blew a fuse.

"Sorry" They both mumbled. Lupin sat down and just glared at the both of them. Charlie and Harry had just stared back and forth the whole time and now sighed in relief that nothing had blown - apart from Lupin of course but even he was quickly drained as he now silently served the table.

"When are Ron and Ginny coming over?" Charlie asked at an attempt to break the tense atmosphere.

"Next week" Harry replied. "The twins might be coming but don't really know where to put them. Of course, we could just conjure a bed in both our rooms and they could take the guest room. But then I guess three girls in one room might be a disaster waiting to happen.

"There are a few empty rooms at the reserve camp." Charlie suggested. "But I don't know if I would trust the twins with free reign".

"It would be good to give Arthur and Molly a break from the kids. Peter would get a bit of peace." Lupin said thoughtfully. "Sirius?"

"Sure" Sirius was unusually quiet.

"Great!" Harry said. "I'll owl them after lunch."

"Make sure you sort out an itinerary." Lupin advised. "Don't want to waste the last of your summer."

"I was thinking about taking a hike up the mountains and camping near the unicorns for two nights." Harry was rambling. Gienah noticed he did this when things were awkward between her and Sirius. "And a day trip to Cardiff. Site seeing then watch a play at the New Theatre. I don't think they've ever been to Cardiff before. Nor I really, apart from that one restaurant. Which was pretty nice. Maybe go there beforehand…"

None of them had heard Harry go on for so long. It was a refreshing change and they all wondered if they should fight more often just so he could be a little bit more outspoken.

"I thought about having a joint Black birthday on the last day of August." Harry suggested nervously.

Both Blacks smiled fondly at Harry.

"That sounds like a smashing idea Harry" Sirius beamed at him. "And we can send you off to your deaths in style."

"Sirius" Lupin warned him.

"Both years they had near death experience, what are the odds!" Sirius said defensively. "There's a reason I'm preparing them Moony."

Lupin just sighed.

"Dessert?!" Harry smiled falsely.

That evening Sirius missed dinner as he was at a late cocktail party held at some stuffy ministry sponsors manor. Gienah had been invited but she and Harry just stared at him. Gienah took out her watercolours and sat outside with Luna to paint the cottage. Gienah managed to capture the vast landscape, the rolling hills and the suffocating heart. It wasn't a work of art but it was home. Lune, the far better artist, assisted with a few final touches adding shadows which brought out the harshness of the sun, the darkness of the trees and the stones of the cottage. The little garden became a burst of colour and they even drew in a shadow in the window of the library to represent Lupin. Gienah now sat curled up on the sofa, almost nodding to sleep waiting for Sirius to come home. It was just reaching one in the morning when the fire place lit up and turned a fiery green. Sirius walked out, not noticing the bundle in front of him as his daughter and headed for the whisky cabinet- a recent addition to the living room.

There were two reasons Sirius Black reached for a solitary whisky in the early hours; to remember or to forget. Looking at his darkened eyes and shaking hands as he poured himself a half-glass of whisky Gienah suspected the latter.

"Dad?" Gienah said quietly, rubbing her eyes, wanting to make her presence known.

Sirius almost dropped his glass. Turning slowly he looked at her and there was no smile, no twinkle in his eye- nothing. It scared her. It reminded her that her father was capable of dark things, not just inappropriate jokes and too expensive gifts. Sirius remained standing as he threw back the drink, clutching the fireplace.

"Bed, Gienah." His voice was scratchy, reminding her of a time she wanted to forget desperately, that still haunted her dreams though two summers had passed.

Gienah refused to move.

"I don't want you to see me like this." Sirius said this to the mantle piece as he poured himself another drink, this time not a half-glass. she could see his profile. Despite what she had said, Sirius Black was not a man who was ready to retire life, quite the opposite, he was a man of his prime. Who had just began living. The dress robes he wore accentuated his height, cut across his masculine figure, emphasizing the hard lines- his hair was pulled back with a black ribbon giving him the airs of a regent prince.

"Father you look rather handsome." Gienah smiled sadly as she stood up and placed a hand on his arm. He turned slowly and tentatively stroked her hair, so like his own, looked into those green eyes so like Lily's and felt his memory seize with unwanted memories.

"Sit down." Sirius ordered. Gienah raised her eyebrow at him and folded her arms. He let out a bark of laughter.

"Do sit down m'lady" he bowed.

Gienah did.

"I never told you that I was in fact in love with your mother. I lied. It was a young, infatuated, shallow love but to Sirius Black in his twenties it was real. Lily Evans was beautiful, intelligent, kind, loyal… A perfect Gryffindor princess. James saw her best qualities from the moment he laid eyes on her. If there was ever a love at first sight it was theirs. I was handsome, wealthy, charming, clever, mischievous, mysterious, rebellious; in other words the qualities belonging to that of a playboy. James and Remus were, are I should say (Sirius chuckled), rather handsome too but James was called for and Remus really was completely unaware of his esteem with the ladies. Girls flocked after me. From third year I had secret admirers sending me enchanted letters, older girls bending down before me in the corridor, ambushed in the broom cupboards" Sirius looked as if he was reliving a happy dream, Gienah coughed politely. "Yes- well- you get the idea. Soon I decided I would take control. I was fresh meat, but by fifth year I was the one whispering sweet nothings in their ear, I was - well- I'll leave that to your imagination. I never tried it on with Lily. She was James's, none of the marauders dared, one day she would wake up and smell the coffee. Doesn't mean I didn't look. It was agony. Watching her become a woman. Being the only girl in the school you couldn't have but Minnie. I'm not sure when it happened but I fell for her hard. I was best man for their wedding and as I watched her walk down the aisle I fantasized that she would be my bride, that I would be having my way with her tonight. They had their honeymoon in France, it was my gift to them, a chateau in the middle of nowhere. But it was cut short. The Prewitt's were murdered two days later and James were close family friends with the two brothers. He would have hated me for letting him miss the funeral. I went over the night before the funeral. James was furious. He left her that night. I tried looking for him but I came back to her expecting her to be asleep but she was pacing in the front room. She was still wearing a sheer nightdress, I could see her lacy bra, the garters on her thighs, but she seemed unaware how enticing she looked. Her eyes filled with tears she ran up to me and cried. She had been drinking. A made a stupid joke about getting drunk in champagne must mean life couldn't be too bad. Playing the familiar loveable richboy to make her laugh. We sat out in the garden, on the grass, a bottle of champagne between the two of us. We talked about Hogwarts, of our friends that fell in love and my conquests. She stopped me and said "I always wondered why you never tried anything with me Sirius." "You were taken" I said sadly. She laughed. "Yes, I suspect it was the reason I never had any dates to the school dances." I was going to interrupt but she said Diggory and Lockhart didn't count. She teased me then- said- "Aren't I good enough for the infamous Black?" Did she really not know that she was the embodiment of forbidden fruit in that moment, the slip falling from her shoulders, I was unable to speak. She got on all fours and crawled towards me, her eyes heavy with lust - or madness- don't ask I was helpless. I desired her. She whispered in my ear that she hadn't been with anyone except for James. She kissed me. We made love under the stars that night. I was reckless. I knew it would never happen again so I did everything under my power to pleasure her, to prove to her that I could love. False dreams, false hopes. I left her in the morning as she slept. Lily never looked at me in front of James again. Yet when he wasn't there, every touch between us, every look, every word felt charged. Eventually I threw myself into the war. I didn't see her those later months she was pregnant with you. She spent the last month at her mothers, away from James even, saying she was ill. I still don't know what the truth was. Only Alice and her mother knew about the baby. Only her mother knew about the father. Imagine my surprise when I receive an owl from Mrs. Evans a few days after your birth. You had no name, left with your grandmother under orders that she place you in an orphanage. Lily couldn't bare do it herself but believed your grandmother would. There are few words that would capture the fury I felt, the betrayal- I went to you there and then. You had a head of black hair, green eyes like your mother and weighed seven pounds. Rose made me swear to keep you a secret. Lily couldn't know. I brought this cottage for Remus after graduation, he insisted he would pay rent so I let him dream. I came to him immediately, asked for help raising her. He was reluctant at first. The betrayal, he would endanger you, and so on- I knew he would make a wonderful father. I said he could make his mind up after a few days but if we could crash at his for the time being. I wasn't really living at any one place. I was often away on missions, living in hiding, crashed at James's, the Potters, Remus's, the Longbottoms, Andromeda's..there was no place to call our own. Of course he fell in love with you as much as I had after two days and after making a few precautions regarding transformation and wards you spent the first year of your life under the care of Remus, Andie, Rose and I. Your grandparents were in hiding so most weekends you spend with Harold and Rose. They died a few months after Harry was born but they doted on you. I have pictures somewhere. Remus was made your godfather and Andie your godmother."

Sirius paused and reached for the whisky but Gienah stopped him, her eyes glassy with tears. Sirius pulled her into his chest and stroked her hair and continued.

"The prophecy was made that winter. I was selfish, relieved it wasn't you though I put the same measures on our house as theirs. I was secret keeper and you no longer went over to Andie's for the full moon. She or I look aftered you here and Remus transformed back at the Shrieking Shack. All precautions were made. The Black's have always been known for their ward magic and you were untouchable. To this day the guilt I feel for not having taken those same precautions with James and Lily. James believed their wards enough, ours considered a little -grey for his liking. Lily didn't care. But I was lulled into a false sense of security. Thought it would be ingenious if everyone believed me to be the secret keeper."

Sirius barked with laughter, the sound bitter and harsh to her ears.

"Wormtail would never be targeted, he'd be safe and I never liked putting all our eggs in one basket. Remus couldn't, he was a werewolf- Dumbledore offered but James was sentimental. Wanted to demonstrate loyalty and so not even Albus knew of our ploy."

Sirius shivered though the night was the warmest that year. His eyes went strangely blank until Gienah shook him.

"On Halloween" Sirius's voice turned harsh. "The Tonks came over for Halloween dinner. Noone else could come. Times were dark and people couldn't be trusted. They were the only ones that knew of the location and I made Ted and Andy take a blood oath so they were all you'd see and be perfectly safe. We celebrated for your sake and Dora's. We couldn't go around wearing black and in constant mourning, well, that's what Remus had said. I saw James, Lily and Harry just two nights beforehand. Wormtail too. In Godric's Hollow, safe, away from unwanted eyes. We knew there was a traitor in the Order but we believed our friends were safe. Lily was weary of Remus. They had no idea he was going undercover with the werewolves. He was unaccounted for during key raids. She suspected him and Wormtail encouraged it. I knew there was no way he could be the traitor and like James looked away from our friendship circle. I had placed wards on the cottage myself as an extra measure. My wand was going highwire against the dark magic. I left Remus without an explanation and arrived too late. Hagrid was there holding Harry. I knew at once Peter was the traitor. I was bloodthirsty. My instincts took over and I hunted, hungry for revenge. When I found him he drew me out into the open. Shouted some rubbish about how I betrayed James. Blasted the street, cut his finger and disappeared. I took the fall. No trial. Straight to Azkaban with my dear cousin. My last name was enough."

Sirius drifted off for a few seconds before continuing. "Azkaban was a living nightmare. I tried to sleep most days to escape the memories. Stuff I'd forgotten about. My mother telling me how much of a disappointment I was for not getting into Slytherin. Father never said a word as she'd punish me. Crucio, the works."

Gienah gasped and held her fathers big hands in hers and kissed his fingers. Sirius laughed dryly.

"The only hope for me was that you were safe, that Voldemort was gone and Harry alive. I never thought I'd make it out alive. I wondered maybe when you grew up you'd want to see me. And Remus- well- I hoped he'd reach out for his only surviving friend. I don't know if I've forgiven him yet."

"What happened tonight?"

"Fudge had a cocktail party and he invited the Malfoy's as guests of honour. The smarmy bastard was all over Fudge. It was sickening. And Rita Skeeter managed to get an invite- had to threaten her to get her to shut up."

"Ugh what happened to the image of you as the wronged war hero"

"No longer interesting" Sirius sneered. "I'm sure I'll be back on the most eligible bachelor list next week."

"What happened to Lolita?" Gienah asked.

"More a convenient f-" Sirius had his mouth smothered by Gienah.

"It's enough knowing exactly how you and Lily conceived me." Gienah grimaced.

"Ah soon enough you and I will be having 'the talk'" Sirius grinned. "Father dropped me off at a whorehouse on my fifteenth birthday."

"Gross!" Gienah slapped her father on the arm. "And dad beat you to it."

"Still look forward to meeting the boyfriend."

"I don't think any boyfriend deserves two dads giving them a talking to."

"Right, to bed missy."

"I love you dad."

"I love you too sweetheart. You're my life. You and Harry."

Gienah went to bed that night feeling a little more complete.

The next day Harry woke her up at ten o'clock by jumping on her. Gienah tackled him onto the floor.

"Hagrid's taking us to Diagon Alley, we're meeting Hermione and Ron for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and Sirius is leaving for a meeting in twenty minutes and he doesn't want you missing him again and having a tantrum about it."

"I miss sleep more" Gienah grumbled but followed him downstairs nonetheless.

"There's my grouchy angel" Sirius laughed, he himself had dark shadows under his eyes but poured himself his third coffee. "I'm going to Cambodia tonight-"

"Whaat?" Both her and Harry widened their eyes.

"I want to go!" Harry said.

"It's no holiday cub, me and Charlie are hunting poachers." Sirius said ruffling his hair. "And I don't want to leave Lupin keeping an eye on the reserve by himself."

"Gienah can stay behind." Harry folded his arms.

"If you go, so am I!"

"Gen you can be such a spoilt little-"

"Enough!" Sirius shouted. "I can't afford to keep an eye on two kids while hunting poachers hunting jabberwockies."

"Wicked" both Harry and Gienah said softly.

Sirius groaned.

"Take one of them Sirius, I'll be fine for the week." Lupin sighed. "Gienah maybe let Harry spend some time with his godfather one on one. Besides, you'd hate sharing a tent with two smelly boys and I really can't run this place without you."

Gienah sulked but conceded. Harry punched the air.

"Fine!" Sirius yelled as he walked out of the kitchen. "We're leaving at six, be packed by then and at the camp or I'm leaving without you."

Harry did a celebratory dance around Gienah singing "I'm going to Cambodia" until she walloped him with a dishcloth.

Lupin gave them a pouch of galleons each. Luna arrived just before they were leaving. She was Gienah's charge and Hagrid would be meeting them there taking Sirius's motorbike seeing he couldn't fit in most fireplaces and his apparition skills left something to be desired.

Gienah waved at Tom as she passed the busy pub. The familiar waft of beer and roasted nuts hit her as weaved through the crowd. She saw a number of Hogwarts students from different years. Cedric Diggory was with his Hufflepuff friends having a butterbeer and winked at her as she passed.

"Diggory just winked at you." Harry said to her looking back with narrowed eyes.

"I didn't notice." Gienah said, tapping the brick wall.

They had a few hours before meeting Hermione and Ron so they went straight to the book store. Gienah had brought most of her books already and was surprised to see The Monster Book of Monsters on the list. That would explain Harry's birthday present. The poor wizard looked rushed off his feet, bandages on his fingers from the snapping books. Gienah thought they were rather sweet and pet hers and found the book immediately purred! She told this to the wizard and he looked at her incredulously until she demonstrated and he kissed her from gratitude and gave her her two books to her on the house. The second was for muggle studies called _Home Life and Social Habits by Wilhelm Wigworthy_. Harry and Luna purchased their books as she browsed the fictions section. Her eyes were drawn to the romances Lavender Brown was hooked on and taking a look around she flicked through a few of the novels.

"Feeling frisky Black?"

Gienah jumped and saw Malfoy sniggering at her as he himself carried a few books under his arm.

"Well," Gienah walked up to him. "I was, but you're as good as a cold shower Malfoy."

Malfoy's smile turned sour. Gienah laughed as she pushed past him.

Harry, Luna and Gienah went into Slug & Jiggers to purchase her potions supplies. Given the brewing she did at home she was always in need of a thorough restock. Harry just brought a few basics and stared at the self-stirring cauldrons and wondered if it would help his brewing.

Gienah dragged Harry to Madame Malkins insisting he needed new robes and brought herself some gloves and helped Luna find a fashionable winter cloak. Luna wasn't too keen on the plain black so she selected one with scarlet lining and a golden clutch.

By the time they were done it was time for lunch. Luna asked is she could go to Sugarplums later and Gienah told her after lunch since she still wanted to have a browse at Obscures.

"Have you never been to a muggle clothes store Luna?" Gienah asked, having always seen her in robes.

"No, but I think they look much more practical." Luna opined.

"I agree." Gienah smiled, enjoying her role as older sister. "How about we go and do some muggle clothes shopping with Hermione after Sugarplums?"

"Ooh" Luna smiled."Yes please!"

Hermione and Ron had already grabbed a table. Hagrid waved at them from behind the bar. "Just having a drink with Tom Gen!"

Gienah shook her head with a smile as she waved at Ron and Hermione who were arguing as usual. Hermione was holding a large ginger cat in her hands with a squashed head, bottlebrush tail and yellow eyes. Gienah gasped and held her arms out to the creature Harry thought was most possibly the ugliest cat he'd ever seen. The cat jumped into Gienah's hands and purred as she scratched him behind his ear.

"Isn't he adorable" Hermione beamed.

"Isn't he just" Gienah said with a baby voice. Luna stroked his large head and let him lick her hand.

"The cats a monster!" Ron cried. "He pounced at Scabbers!"

"Maybe it's a girl thing." Harry shrugged staring at the cat that was eying Ron's shivering pocket. "You ordered?"

Ron nodded. Harry, Luna and Gienah scanned the menu. Harry decided on the fish and chips, Gienah and Luna chose the veggie burgers with sweet potato chips and salad. Gienah went to order sitting next to Hagrid as she waited for Tom.

"Got yer school stuff?" Hagrid asked. He was drinking with a dwarf and what appeared to be a hag in a veil.

Gienah nodded.

"The girls are coming with me to shop in Muggle London afterwards but we'll come back here before we leave."

"I really should be comin' with ya Gen-" Hagrid started.

"No, it's fine! Hermione's a muggle-born and we won't go far. Have a drink with your friends. You need a day off." Gienah smiled at him, looking curiously at his friends.

"Ah yer a good kid Gen".

"What can I get you love?" Tom smiled at her as he wiped the table clean.

"Fish and chips with mushy peas and two of your veggie burgers with sweet potato wedges and salad. Two butterbeers aaand a vanilla milkshake."

"Sit down love I'll come to you" Tom winked at her as he handed her the drinks.

"Why's Hagrid here?" Hermione asked as she sat down and passed the drinks around.

"Our chaperone" GIenah rolled her eyes. "Course he'll be here getting drunk while we shop and return home the same time as us so there isn't any real need but dad insists."

"Which one?" Ron asked.

"Sirius of course" Gienah sighed. "He likes to think he's making up all the lost years of mollycoddling. I for one prefer the presents."

"Remus spoils you as it is" Harry chuckled.

"I love that I get called the spoilt princess when the both of them spoil you just as much. Remus more so!" Gienah huffed.

"Anyway, hows your holidays going?" Harry smiled, knowing it was completely true.

"Dull," Ron groaned. "Can't wait to come to your place! Been saving my pocket money and Fred and George have earned quite a bit at their new job in a muggle theatre."

"France was beautiful" Hermione gushed. "We did a little sightseeing and I went to the wizarding Paris and the history was tragic! I had no idea the revolutions affected the wizarding world. Did you know that Robesp-"

Ron rolled his eyes and muttered here she goes again. Gienah listened with open ears finding the history equally fascinating and found it would be helpful for muggle studies.

"I'm going to Cambodia tonight" Harry said to Ron absently.

"No!" Hermione squeaked.

Harry nodded as Gienah mumbled "He's tracking poachers with dad and Charlie."

"Wicked" Ron nodded at Harry, clearly impressed. "Charlie told me they were hunting endangered jabberwockies."

"You two are so lucky Sirius has such an educational career." Hermione sighed. "I'd rather not know about root canals."

"It also means he's hardly home." Gienah pointed out.

"Meh" Ron said. He rubbed his hands as he saw Tom walking towards the table with two levitating trays of food. Ron had brought a whole steak and kidney pie with mashed potato and gravy. Hermione had ordered a healthy pumpkin soup with bread.

"How's Ginny doing?" Gienah asked somewhat guiltily.

"Ginny's- different. She spends most of her time helping mum round the house and baking. Doesn't really talk anymore." Ron said in between gulps. "I think she's worried you don't like her anymore but mum says its good to spend some time with girls her own age so she's coming next week."

"She stunned me!" Gienah groaned. "How else was I meant to respond? How was I supposed to know Voldemort was possessing her."

Ron and Hermione flinched.

"No one's blaming you" Ron looked at her seriously. "I'm just saying if you two could get her to loosen up somehow-"

"Luna!" Gienah smiled.

Luna looked at her, looking a little concerned as Gienah had a strange look in her eye.

"Come and stay with us for two weeks. You and Ginny can have the guest room."

"I'd love to" Luna smiled. "I do think Ginny needs cheering up. I'll take her to the centaurs. They always cheer me up."

"Long as it's not Horned Nargles." Ron muttered, earning a glare from the silver haired witch. Gienah giggled as Luna was not one to glare much. Ron looked down and noisily ate his food.

"Right, we're off to Sugarplums then a spot of muggle clothes shopping Harry. Meet you back here at 6- Oh sugar. Forgot you have to leave early-"

"I'll floo home alone Gen. No point coming back early." Harry reached his sister for a hug. "Take good care of Remus."

"Take a picture of the jabberwockies for me if you can!" Gienah waved as she left the pub with the two girls trailing behind her.

"Oxford Street?" Hermione enquired.

"Your domain Mione" Gienah winked at her taking hold of Luna's hand who mumbled something about being old enough to walk alone.

"Not with muggle vehicles young lady." Gienah said teasingly. Though it was true, Luna watched them go with wide eyes. Gienah was a little nervous and dared not take her eyes off Hermione who weaved through the crowds and crossed the roads with a natural confidence.

"John Lewis?" Hermione asked before they went into a huge multi-complex. Luna and Gienah just looked at eachother.

"Merlin, it's not so different from the wizarding world." Hermione laughed as she walked through the rotating doors. Gienah and Luna naturally got stuck before Hermione explained through the glass you had to push the glass.

"You were saying?" Luna asked Hermione and Gienah gave her a hi-five.

"Did you exchange for muggle money?" Hermione asked as they took a strange device called an escalator up to the first floor.

Luna shook her head and Gienah rummaged in her purse to bring out a credit card.

"Dad gave me this for emergencies." Gienah showed Hermione. "I don't know how much-"

Hermione eyes the platinum and raised her eyebrows "I reckon you're covered."

"It's on me." Gienah smiled at Luna. "Early birthday present."

"What about my last one?" Luna asked as she fingered a shiny dress.

Hermione and Gienah laughed.

Gienah didn't know where to start. The only time she'd been muggle clothes shopping was with Tonks and they had gone to a charity shop which was twenty times smaller than this. The girls went to the lingerie section and helped Luna get sized for her first bra. Xeno hadn't thought to take Luna bra shopping but seeing as Andromeda had taken Gienah she wasn't surprised.

Luna selected the most odd looking clothes but strangely they suited her quite well. Gienah introduced her to jeans and when she tried them on in the changing room she felt she couldn't walk right. Hermione giggled as she watched Luna look at her backside in the mirror and look a little surprised.

Gienah picked up some brightly coloured tights, pleated skirts and jumpers with quotes on them for Luna and brought several pairs of jeans for herself. Some high waisted, others with bell bottoms, dungarees. Hermione brought a new school bag and a sparkly green jumper. They left the store with several more bags in tow.

"What did you want for your birthday present Hermione?" Gienah asked as they entered a store called Debenhams.

"I'm not sure." Hermione replied honestly. "Mum and Dad gave me the money to buy Crookshanks."

"I think I'd want an experience for my birthday." Gienah said. "Tickets somewhere."

"Noted" laughed Hermione.

Hermione went to have a look at perfumes. Gienah found some nice cologne for Sirius and a bright tie with ducks on them for Remus. Finally they went to a dresses section to buy their outfits for Gienah's thirteenth birthday party. Luna found a short sparkly red dress for herself with matching sparkly pumps. Hermione brought a matching sparkly dress in gold and Gienah brought one in green.

"We should buy one for Ginny." Luna held out the same one in black.

"We should get the boys sparky bow ties!" Gienah ran to the men's section

"Ron's going to hate you" Hermione cackled. "Let's get them waistcoats as well."

The three girls ended up going back to Diagon Alley at seven in the evening. Hagrid seemed not to have noticed the girls were running late and they decided to have dinner before they went their separate ways.

"Luna tells me Diggory winked at you." Hermione raised her eyebrow as she sipped her butterbeer.

"Why is everyone fixated on an eye movement?" Gienah sighed.

"I believe the eye movement in question indicates a romantic advance and seeing as Diggory is considered handsome, popular too given his seekership the fixation is- understandable." Luna chirped in.

"Yes he winked at me." Gienah growled. "I don't see why. I have a flat chest and no arse to speak of."

"You're tall and stunning. Like Christy Turlington." Hermione surveyed her.

"You're still to hit puberty" Luna comforted her. "I'm sure you'll grow into your figure in a few years."

"Aw girls, thanks for the pity party." Gienah said sarcastically.

"Fine" Hermione folded her arms. "Have you read all your books yet?"

"All but Monsters book of Monsters and Muggle Studies."

"Potions?"

"Brewed every single one to varies success."

"DADA?"

"Sirius has been teaching Harry and me so practical's pretty much covered."

"Nice" Hermione smiled. "I haven't been brewing or doing any practical seeing as I'm muggle-born, a complete unjustified disadvantage of you ask me but theory has been keeping me busy."

"Luna's been helping with the brewing actually." Gienah patted the little witch beside her.

"Did you girls know it was gettin' late?" A drunken half-giant swayed over to their table smelling strongly of firewhisky.

"Hagrid, maybe you should get home on the knight bus." Gienah said gently. Luna and Gienah hugged Hermione goodbye and the three companions went to stand outside the inn. Gienah flagged her wand whilst trying to keep Hagrid upright.

"Merlin, I hate this bus." Gienah grumbled as she paid for all four of them.

"I 'eard tha'!" The pimple faced boy said as he gave them their tickets. Gienah shrunk their bags and placed them in backpack before taking her seat. Hagrid stumbled onto a sofa and fell asleep.

"Magical Safari, Cupar, Wales." Luna said to the wizard.

"Hold on!" The driver screeched as he hit the pedal and the whole bus tilted sideways. Hagrid continued to sleep through the journey, taking them two hours to reach home. They half-dragged Hagrid to his bed before dragging themselves back to the cottage.

Lupin was not happy to see them. He was sitting in the kitchen with the lights on and a cup of tea in his hand, pacing the floor when they arrived.

"What time do you call this?" Lupin said softly.

"We had to get the knight bus because Hagrid was-"

"The motorbike wouldn't start." Luna said quickly.

"And we decided to have dinner at the inn." Gienah continued.

"It would be nice if you had told me this before I cooked for the three of us Gienah." The disappointment was clear. "It's called consideration."

"I'm really sorry dad." Gienah said, looking at the floor.

"Just- promise not to do it again" Lupin sighed. "I really was worried."

Gienah and Luna nodded.

"Off to bed then girls. You can show me your purchases tomorrow. Harry said you went muggle clothes shopping."

"Ooh yes Mr. Lupin, my first time" Luna smiled.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Lupin patted her on the head and ushered them to bed.

The next week was tiring. Without Charlie or Sirius administration fell on Lupin and animal interaction left to Hagrid who wasn't the most organized carer. Gienah and Luna were up from six in the morning going from one reserve to another. Feeding, grooming, healing, playing, cleaning… Lupin packed their lunches each day as they had little time to return for lunch.

They bumped into the centaurs once. Luna kindly introduced Gienah to her friends.

"The Nagual" Tegmine bowed his head. Gienah responded in kind then looked nervously at Luna who was stroking a grey foul's mein. "Thank you for allowing us to roam in these lands Gienah, daughter of the scorching Dog Star. We offer you our allegiance, may it serve us both and our children's children."

"I accept Tegmine, descendent of Kinnara, King of the Yarraman. May this union bless us in fortune and health." Gienah said before she realized the words have come from her mouth.

"In good time Gienah. The centaurs bless you with our name Adenydd and mark you with our friendship. Kneel Adenydd, daughter of Kantrava"

Gienah knelt before him. Tegmine placed his hand on her head and chanted under his breath. Gienah felt a burning on her forehead. There was a mark between her brows. She looked at Luna and for the first time saw the mark between her forehead. A light white scar in the shape of a rhune.

"Tegmine, accept our forgiveness. We have creatures to tend to." Luna smiled at Tegmine and bowed her head before taking Gienah's hand and leaving the eery part of the forest.

"These trees have changed." Gienah murmured.

"Well, of course they have. The magical signature of the creatures infuse the surroundings. The woods grow older and stronger, attracting magical beasts to feed from its plants and safety in its shade."

Gienah suddenly felt appreciative of every plant, every creature, every tiny living thing that made the forest so green and so pure.

"You knew I was a Nagual?" Gienah said once they dismounted their brooms on the mountain ledge.

"Of course silly." Luna laughed. "I'm surprised most people miss your aura. It is decidedly not human. I didn't know you were a skinwalker till Tegmine, but I knew it was strongly related to the nature of Animagi, veela and werewolves."

"And you're not scared of me?" Gienah asked in surprise.

"You will one day be a very powerful witch but I'm convinced you'll do more good than evil Adenydd." Luna said surely.

"They say Nagial are the greatest seducers-"

"Hmph. Every powerful woman is accused of using her female ways Gienah. Don't let the patriarchy tell you your faults." Luna said to her, her silver eyes boring into her green. Gienah nodded.

The evening when Harry and Sirius returned Gienah and Luna had fallen asleep on the couch following a well deserved bath. Sirius carried them to bed. The next morning Gienah woke feeling sore. The hiking had forced her to use muscles she hadn't realized existed. Wondering how she had gotten into her bed she walked downstairs, drawn to the smell of pancakes.

Sirius was wearing an apron, whistling a merry tune as he dropped another pancake onto a plate. Gienah ran to hug him from the back. Sirius winced.

"Careful love." Sirius untangled her arms and kissed her on the forehead. "I've a few injuries."

"Are you ok?" Gienah asked. "How about Harry?"

"Nothing I haven't dealt with before Gen." Sirius assured her. "We managed to contain a few poachers and bring a family back with us to induct them into our conservation programme."

"Dad, you're understaffed." Gienah said bluntly.

"I know doll." Sirius sighed. "HR's on it. Well done for doing an excellent job. You and Luna both."

"Our Pleasure." Gienah said. "Care of Magical Creatures should be a breeze."

"I reckon you should focus on Muggle Studies." Sirius advised. "There's much more to it than culture. I always wanted to go to a muggle university. Maybe we should think about doing the same for you."

"But I'll need muggle qualifications."

"Only six OWL equivalents and three NEWT equivalents."

"But where will I learn them?" Gienah asked confused.

"We could get you a tutor in the weekends and the holidays. Get you permission slips to Hogsmeade for classes."

"Ooh yes please!" Gienah clapped her hands. "Only Hermione has to come too."

"Deal." Sirius grinned.

Gienah took a plate and started filling it with pancakes, fruit and whipped cream.

"When are we being stampeded with Weasleys?" Sirius asked.

"Lunchtime. They're all flooing in. Can you help conjure beds for our guests?" Gienah asked with a yawn.

"Sure thing sugar", Sirius passed her a mug of coffee.

Lupin and Luna came down later, followed by Harry who continued to sleep on the breakfast table.

"Planning to show them round the resort?" Lupin asked.

Luna nodded.

"Then playing a spot of quidditch after dinner." Gienah said.

"Dad's coming over for dinner." Luna added.

"Ah" Sirius smiled. "You must miss him pumpkin."

"I do." Luna said simply. "But we already agreed I'll accompany him to Sweden for his expedition in Christmas and we write to each other almost daily."

"Good, I guess I have made you into an assistant this summer." Lupin said apologetically.

"Oh no Mr. Lupin." Luna shook her head earnestly.

Lupin smiled.

"I'll see you at the reserve my little cherubs." Sirius ruffled Luna and Harry's sleeping head. "Mother cherub" with a cheeky wink at Lupin.

The next few hours they went grocery shopping in their little town centre. They brought enough to feed a family of giants and no doubt more would be necessary to satisfy the Weasley's. They brought a few muggle snacks as well and in the charity shop found a few video tapes, board games and puzzles that'd provide some evening entertainment. They side-along apparated with Lupin to the cottage and made a quick lunch. Three kinds of sandwiches, egg and cress, cheese and celery, and chicken and lettuce. Pumpkin soup. A enlarged and full fruit bowl.

At one the floo was activated and out came a sooty Hermione, smiling widely holding her trunk in one hand and a two white boxed balanced in her other hand.

"Dad baked about two dozen blueberry muffins and a banoffee pie." Hermione let Harry take her trunk up to her room as she carefully placed the baked goods in the kitchen.

"That was very thoughtful of them. We can have the pie for dessert." Lupin smiled at her. "How have you been Hermione?"

"Good, good. Went to France for a month which was fascinating. Visited Wizarding France for the first time. Usually we see the usual muggle tourist attractions but the history-" Hermione continued talking as Lupin set up their lunch outside in the garden with Hermione's help.

Five minutes later the whole Weasley clan emerged from the fireplace, full of banter and laughter, Gienah was delighted that the twins were able to stay at the camp. Harry showed Ron and Ginny to their rooms and Gienah told the twins they'd be taken to their rooms after lunch.

"Smashing" Fred winked at Gienah. "Feel like I'm at a hotel. Three star mind you."

Gienah swatted him playfully.

"It's about a fifteen minute walk to the camp so you'll spend most of the time here for meals. You can have breakfast at the canteen but you have to pay and most people cook anyway." Gienah continued. "After lunch we'll drop your trunks off and then give you a tour of the reserve- but we'll leave the mountains for another day. Harry's planning a three day camping expedition hiking up the mountains this weekend."

Harry, Ginny and Ron returned and they all headed outside for the picnic style lunch. The girls mainly sat together.

"Hows your summer been Ginny?" Luna asked. "You haven't said much in your owls."

"Not much to say" Ginny shrugged. "I've been studying, doing chores, cooking."

"Well, hopefully that's all about to change," smiled Gienah. "Except the cooking. Everyone mucks in there."

"We brought you a dress for the Black's birthday party." Hermione said.

"Luna mentioned, we're all matching in sparkles?" Ginny asked sceptically.

The girls laughed.

"ALL of us" nodded Luna with a giggle.

"I bet Ron's going to love that."

"He's wearing _maroon_ sparkles." Hermione snorted.

All the girls groaned.

"Dad's hired a jazz band. We're going to have to transform the garden somehow. Put in a dance floor, a ceiling for the dinner- I don't know how he's planning to pull that off-" Gienah shook her head. "But it's our first proper birthday celebration so he's going all out. Harry and Sirius are in charge. But I said we have to do a jazz theme as I already bought their outfits."

"Ooh it's going to be so much fun" Hermione clapped her hands.

The afternoon passed swiftly. Hermione and the Weasley's were surprised to see the extent of the reserve and how seamlessly the creatures blended in with the Welsh landscape.

"We have ecosystem specialists that come in once a month to adjust the climates. That way it maintains the different habitats. The marshes require a weekly upgrade." Gienah explained as they passed through the Dead Marshes.

"Dead Marshes?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"I read Lord of the Rings last summer" grinned Gienah. "Now as you can see there are no crude signs regarding where the animals are or where they come from which puts a lot of pressure on our tour guides who are updated with our creatures every week. This early we are continuously adding new creatures. It's an ongoing hub of research and we hire the sharpest minds all over the world to ensure the creatures get the best care possible. As the only magical safari in Britain with interests in preserving species and not reducing the place to a zoo we are well funded by academics, apothecaries and the ministry. Tours only contribute a percentage to the costs of running the safari. The largest income is from selling ethical parts of the creatures. Unicorn feathers, shed snake skin, acromantula venom, dragon blood and so on."

Fred and George was now nearing the recent addition, the jabberwocky. It was a magnificent creature. A deep red coloured reptile with wings. It looked like the dinosaurs muggles thought existed millions of years ago.

"Are they dangerous?"

"Yes" Gienah said bluntly. "However most have been trained not to harm humans as we supply the food and care for them. The smell of humans no longer signals threat or fear. A few of our researchers consider this domestication. However, we disagree as they should be able to distinguish between carers and other human beings. While Ethalinda will allow me to stroke her, if you touched her she'd burn you to a crisp."

The twins retreated from the jabberwocky which was enjoying the dead ferret Gienah threw over at him.

"What's the long term aim?" hermione asked with her hand raised.

Gienah refrained from laughing as she had dressed in her tour guide uniform and distributed a map and a creatures guide book to all of them.

"Find the creatures appropriate mates and once we reach our capacity we release one family into the wild. Dad is hoping to branch out in Africa which will work as a halfway house for the creatures to prepare them for the real world."

Hermione nodded.

A few hours later they returned, a little fatigued from their tour to find dinner waiting for them. Lupin opted for a simple Italian meal having made carbonara and cannelloni with fresh salads and plenty of rustic bread. Following a raucous dinner they had banoffee pie. Sirius got along swimmingly with the Weasley twins and Ginny was becoming more social. Hermione, Luna and Lupin became a trio at the corner of the table talking about matters such as law and history. Hermione was fascinated and appalled at the legislation concerning magical beings and volunteered to help Lupin's crusade on werewolves.

After a group effort clearing the table they had an hours break before splitting into two teams. Ginny, Sirius, George and Fred were on one team, Harry, Gienah, Ron and Xeno on the other. Ginny turned out to be an accomplished flyer much to the surprise of her brothers. Ginny confessed she'd been sneaking her brothers broomsticks out of the shed since the age of six. Xeno on the other hand was abysmal. Harry doubted he knew how to play the game. He cheered when the quaffle went through their own hoops and kept dropping the quaffle. They lost spectacularly.

Following the match they retired to the cramped lounge with blankets and cups of tea and chocolate to watch The Wizard of Oz before retiring to their beds.

Everyone woke late the next morning and had a large brunch at eleven. At one they set out for Cardiff with Harry taking charge and Lupin's head in a book. They went to the National Museum and then for a boat ride on Cardiff bay. Lupin bought everyone ice-creams from the van and took pictures using Sirius's camera. It was a pleasant day with plenty of walking. Gienah enjoyed taking a break from the reserve. At seven they began to walk towards the theatre to see Uncle Vanya by Chekhov. It was surprisingly hilarious and had such a beautiful set though the scene changes took an age. Hermione and Gienah brought the playscript later.

The two weeks passed in much the same way. Harry filled their days with activities. One evening they went to the muggle theatre to watch a horror movie, another day to a wizarding circus in Brighton, then the beach in River Teifi. Camping was the most fun. Two nights without adults, they told ghost stories in the night and cooked in the fire. They went swimming in the mountain pools and spied on the unicorns.

On the last night people flooded their garden for the birthday party. The Weasleys, Tonks, Longbottoms, Grangers, Lovegoods, Creevys. Several of dads workmates came and half the staff off the reserve. There were far more adults than children but they had a whale of the time anyway. Everyone wore a sparkly accessory even if their robes were plain. Gienah managed to persuade Barty Crouch into wearing a sparkly hat "The dress code demands sparkles Mr. Crouch!"

"Genna!"

Gienah excused herself from the mortified looking official and saw Lyra running to her with a gift in her hand. She hugged Gienah tightly.

"Hello beautiful" Gienah knelt and grinned at the bouncing eight year old. "Haven't you grown!"

Lyra Elladora Tonks looked nothing like her sister. Tonks' natural features were far more like her father's. Light brown her, and kind eyes. Lyra looked like a miniature Gienah but instead of brilliant green eyes she had her mother's grey that would soon resemble silver with age. She wore a pale gold dress with a large bow around her waist and a sparkly golden bow on her headband.

"Are you my present Lyra?" Gienah teased her.

"Nooo." Lyra giggled. Gienah laughed at the sight of the little girl crinkling her eyes and shaking her head.

"When did you get so big?" Gienah tickled her lightly.

"I'm eight years old Genna" Lyra did a proud toothless smile. "Happy Birthday."

Lyra eagerly pressed the small package to Gienah. Gienah opened it carefully to Lyra's impatience and found a simple black frame holding detailed sketch of an eagle with its wings outstretched. Lyra's scrawly signature was on the corner of the drawing. Gienah recognized the bird. It was her!

"Uncle Sirius helped me find the eagle in the forest. We had to be real quiet in case she flew away and then she did fly away and I had to finish the drawing in my imagination. Do you like it?" She finished shyly.

"I love it", and Gienah meant it. She kissed the little girl on the cheek, and Lyra put the palm of her hand to Gienah's cheek and looked at her strangely. Then with another toothless smile she ran away calling for Luna who was entertaining two more children and rocked a baby in her arms. Gienah smiled at the sight. Luna was a natural with children. Something about her white blonde hair and melodious voice reminded them of fairy tales.

This was most definitely the best part of the night. The presents. Everyone brought a gift, whether it be a bottle of wine or a box of honeydukes.

"Open it." Fred eyes glinted with mischief as he passed her a bright green present with a red bow.

Gienah looked at him suspiciously.

"It won't blow up" Fred rolled her eyes.

"Flirting Fancies?" Gienah raised her eyebrow.

"Our first Wonder Witch product-" Fred said with a wink.

"Not that you need it" George smiled.

"Heard Diggory winked at you the other day," Fred asked in a conspirational manner.

"Might have done, might not have done" Gienah said, placing the gift on the pile in the corner.

Harry brought her a broom compass 'Gee thanks Harry, what I've always wanted(!)'. Ron brought her a wand holster and wand polish, Hermione brought her tickets for the Holyhead Harpies, Lupin brought her a new potions kit and a fancy new cauldron made of copper, Luna brought her a dozen muggle novels from the literature cannon that she hadn't read yet. George bought her a smart looking muggle poker set. Neville gave her blue ivy, a natural warding plant that sprouted dragon lilly's; an extremely useful healing ingredient. Hagrid gave her a hand carved elvish everwood flute. Andromeda brought her a beautiful winter cloak with matching gloves and scarves, all lined with synthetic fur. Ginny brought her a deep red leather diary enchanted to open only for her. Charlie gave her a necklace with a gold dragon pendant on it that breathed fire when you stroked it. But the present of all, by far, was given to her by Sirius, the latest broom on the market, a firebolt. Gienah smothered him in kisses and was itching to ride it at once but was told by Lupin that it would be rude. Gienah sighed and promised she'd wait till the guests were gone.

There were various random impersonal gifts from her father's acquaintances that were. Someone gifted her with an expensive looking jewellery set encrusted with pearls. Another presented her with a rare gold cobra that attacked when her owner was threatened. The cobra was perfect in impersonating an elaborate necklace, bracelet or head piece, it's green eyes resembling sparkling jewels. Gienah named the cobra Vanajakshi meaning queen of the forest. Gienah suspected the gift was bequeathed by the Egyptian Mughal who simply signed the card _Ilias_. Other gifts were less lavish. Scented candles, perfume, turkish delight…

Gienah was stroking Vanajakshi as she recalled the party the night before and smiled in her stupor. Harry, Ginny and Ron were playing Anaconda. Luna was reading the Quibbler and Hermione was reading Transfiguration Today.

The trolley knocked on the compartment door and Gienah was roused from her pleasant daydream. Harry brought sweets for everyone and Gienah brought out the wicker basket Lupin had packed for them.

"Who do you reckon we got for DADA this year?" Ron said with a mouthful of pumpkin pasty.

"Considering the track record…" Ginny snorted.

"Let's see, one possessed by a dark lord tried to kill me, the other a fraud that tried to obliviate me-" Harry pretended to think hard about the hard luck.

"Dumbledore asked dad but he declined" Gienah said with a yawn. "He would have been great."

"Wouldn't the werewolf thing be a problem though?" Ron asked.

"Nah" Gienah waved her hand. "Two, three days recovery a month. I asked if it was because of the school and he said partly. I think he's serious about finding Marcus Blott."

"Mr. Lupin says if he wasn't going to try for a fellow werewolf forgotten by the law, then all his efforts would be work of a fraud and a coward." Luna said proudly.

"Sounds like a worthy Gryffindor," came an all too familiar voice from the door. "Your half-breed of a father is off looking for a werewolf whose vanished from society Black? I hope you gave him a proper goodbye. The next time you'll see him he'll be six feet under."

"As nice it is for you to show concern, kindly leave our compartment. My cobra gets restless when there are lesser snakes around." Gienah smiled sweetly as she calmed the hissing snake in her arms.

"The Black's have gone to the dogs." Malfoy sneered. He slammed the door behind him.

They all laughed at the irony. Oh if he only knew her father was a dog.

"If I didn't know better Malfoy wasn't being as snarky as he used to" Hermione said thoughtfully. "I think he was meaning to warn you. What's the deal with Marcus Blott?"

"Last seen in France, no one has seen him for the past six months. His last known location, no sign of struggle, yet no sign of him trying to escape. Possessions untouched." Ginny told them. "It's likely he's been taken by the Black Market. Remus was looking for ways to get in the trade. Werewolf blood costs a fortune."

"You don't mean to say he's gone undercover!?" Gienah shouted, her eyes closed in fury.

"If I'd hazard a guess, all evidence suggests its the only logical way forward-" Luna began.

"Logical my arse." Gienah hissed as she rummaged for a piece of paper and quill writing frantically before opening the window and sending Hermes on his way. "How dare he when he knows he faces risks from both sides of the operation! The ministry wouldn't hesitate sentencing him for life in Azkaban and the black market is notoriously medieval."

"I'm sure he's taken the necessary precautions," Hermione soothed her.

Gienah's good mood took a turn for the worst, unable to stand the worried looks coming off of her friends she excused herself and went for a walk down the train. Passing each compartment she heard giggling and laughter, friends catching up after weeks apart, people reading, sleeping… She felt enclosed and suffocated. She hated that Lupin was putting himself in danger. She had only got back one father, she wouldn't lose another.

"Black?"

Gienah looked up and saw a tall and handsome prefect walk towards her. Gienah was sitting cross-legged at the back of the train, the engine roaring beneath her. Her heart sped a little when she realized it was Diggory. Gienah stood up a little defensively, unsure what to say to a boy whose eye movements were so closely monitored by her friends.

"Everything ok?" Diggory came close to her before saying this, his breath tickling her forehead. Gosh, he really was tall.

Gienah nodded and offered him a small smile that felt false even as she gave it.

"What's wrong?" Diggory looked around before setting his warm grey eyes on her cool green ones.

"Nothing" Gienah said at last.

"I see", he said, clearly unconvinced.

"Congratulations" Gienah said, pointing at his prefects badge. Diggory flashed her a charming smile and Gienah understood why so many girls fawned over the guy Ron accused of being a 'pretty boy'.

"Thanks." Cedric folded his arms, mimicing hers. "Now, I'm supposed to be patrolling the corridors looking for anyone causing trouble, anything - out the ordinary. You wouldn't be causing any trouble would you Ms. Black?"

Gienah bit her lip and shook her head, her brain cursing her for pooling beneath his stern gaze. There was a touch of humour in them and his lips betrayed a hint of a smile.

"I would have to disagree with you there miss" Cedric placed a hand on either side of her. "You are anything if not - out of the ordinary."

Cedric was drawing closer and Gienah felt her eyes flutter when they jumped apart at the sound of a threatening hiss from her neck.

"Remain still" Cedric whispered as he drew his wand and narrowed his eyes.

Gienah laughed and he raised an eyebrow.

"This is Vanajakshi, my golden cobra" Gienah explained, stroking her golden head. "She attacks when she believes me to be in danger.

"I see." Cedric said weakly and laughed along with her. "Point proved as far as I'm concerned."

"I never said I wasn't" Gienah teased.

"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?" Cedric asked her, a little nervously to her surprise.

"Isn't that in the end of October?" Gienah blurted out without thinking.

"Sorry- I suppose it is too early- argh forget I asked." Cedric tripped over his words and turned a little red, Gienah held back a snigger at the thought of tall, handsome Cedric Diggory reduced into a babbling teenager with a few words.

"You mean - as a date?" It was Gienah's turn to blush.

"If you want to" Cedric said quickly.

"I want to" Gienah nodded even more quickly and he smiled once more. Sweet Morgana.

"Then- it's a date." Cedric smiled widely.

"Urm, can I kiss your mistress?" Cedric asked the glaring snake hesitantly. The cobra appeared to consider him before resting her head on her shoulder. Gienah parted her lips slightly as Cedric softly pressed his lips against hers. His lips were gentle and tasted sweet, like licorice and his breath was minty. His hand cupped her face as he flicked his tongue across hers and she let out a sigh of contentment. Cedric withdrew and Gienah felt like reaching for his perfect hair and mussing it up as she kissed him hard.

"Diggory" An authoritative voice called out from down the corridor. Diggory turned and replied "Weasley?".

"Done with your rounds already?" It was Percy, walking down to them with his hand clasped behind his back. "Oh Gienah, hello. What are you doing back here?"

"Fancied a walk Perc," Gienah said. "Ron said you got headboy. Naturally."

Percy blushed and seemed to puff his chest up more if it was possible.

"With your grades I'm sure it'll be a shoo-in for prefect" Percy said warmly.

"With Hermione dogging my steps?" Gienah laughed. "I doubt it."

"Pleasant summer? I'm sorry I couldn't attend your birthday party. I heard Crouch was in attendance."

"Yes, he gifted me with a jewellery set." Gienah said.

"Ah, a privilege." Percy looked hungrily at her. "You must introduce me to Mr. crouch next time."

Gienah bowed his head, and Percy returned to his compartment. Gienah turned to Cedric who just stared at her.

"You really wrap know how to wrap a man around your little finger" Cedric said, clearly impressed. "Thinking of going into politics?"

Gienah laughed nervously, the Nagual entry coming to mind.

"No, no" Gienah said earnestly. "I don't think I could stand so many straight moustaches and stuffy cocktail parties."

"Fancy joining my compartment?" Cedric offered.

"Oh I should return to my own before they send out a search party" Gienah said nervously.

"I guess I'll see you around." Cedric kissed her on the cheek before walking back to his compartment. Gienah sighed contently and skipped back to hers.

Hermione watched her suspiciously the whole way back to the castle, through the sorting ceremony, right until the announcement of their DADA professor.

"I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. Please give a warm welcome to Professor Ambrogio, our defence professor this year" Dumbledore gestured the pale silver haired handsome man on the far left who scanned his audience as they politely applauded him. He gave them a ravishing smile, revealing a glint of sharp fangs as he did so and many students gasped when they saw it.

"Brilliant," the Weasley twins murmured.

Neville fainted.

Gienah rolled her eyes. After meeting the stuffy but charming Mr. Vandeviere she found the fear surrounding vampires hugely misconstrued.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at one another, stunned. Then they joined in with the applause, which was tumultuous at the Gryffindor table in particular. Gienah leaned forward to see Hagrid, who was ruby red in the face and staring down at his enormous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard.

"We should've known!" Ron roared, pounding the table. "Who else would have assigned us a biting book?"

Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the last to stop clapping, and as Professor Dumbledore started speaking again, they saw that Hagrid was wiping his eyes on the tablecloth.

"Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"

The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink. Gienah, suddenly ravenous, helped herself to everything she could reach and began to eat.

It was a delicious feast; the hall echoed with talk, laughter, and the clatter of knives and forks. Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, were eager for it to finish so that they could talk to Hagrid. They knew how much being made a teacher would mean to him. Hagrid wasn't a fully qualified wizard; he had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year for a crime he had not committed. It had been they who had cleared Hagrid's name last year.

At long last, when the last morsels of pumpkin tart had melted from the golden platters, Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed, and they got their chance.

"Congratulations, Hagrid!" Hermione squealed as they reached the teachers' table.

"All down ter you lot," said Hagrid, wiping his shining face on his napkin as he looked up at them. "Can' believe it...great man, Dumbledore...came straight down to me hut after Professor Kettleburn said he'd had enough...It's what I always wanted..."

Overcome with emotion, he buried his face in his napkin, and Professor McGonagall shooed them away.

They joined the Gryffindors streaming up the marble staircase.

"So Gen-Gen, planning to take on any basilisks this year?" Fred asked as they walked along yet another corridor.

"Any three headed dogs Harry?" George asked with a grin.

"A devilishly driven dark lord perhaps?" Fred offered.

"Just two pesky gangly red-haired twins by the name of Weasley" said Gienah with a sweet smile.

Ron laughed. Fred glared at him.

They went up more and more stairs, to the hidden entrance to Gryffindor Tower, where a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress asked them, "Password?"

"Coming through, coming through!" Percy called from behind the crowd. "The new password's Fortuna Major!"

"Oh no," said Neville Longbottom sadly. He always had trouble remembering the passwords.

Through the portrait hole and across the common room, the girls and boys divided toward their separate staircases. Gienah climbed the spiral stair her head swirling with images of Lupin underground. They reached their familiar, circular dormitory with its five four-poster beds, changed her clothes and sank into her bed staring up at her dreamcatcher hoping it would banish what was sure to be a dark and vexing nightmare.

A.N. Purpledragon93: Thank you thank you thank you! Your comments are excellent, really constructive. Would like to point out I've written this in ten days without a single edit and that on my own document I've been making changes as I go along which have not been updated here. I'm afraid I am a selfish writer, preferring to get things out there first and perfect them later. However- when I do write the edits these comments are going to be so so so helpful.


	16. Electives

Chapter Twenty: **Electives**

When Gienah entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, the first thing she saw was Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be entertaining a large group of Slytherins with a very funny story. As they passed, Malfoy did an impression of a howling werewolf and there was a roar of laughter.

"Ignore him," said Hermione, who was right behind Gienah. "Just ignore him, it's not worth it..."

"Hey, Black!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl with a face like a pug. "Black! Hear your father's a werewolf and you're a filthy half-breed!

Gienah dropped into a seat at the Gryffindor table, next to George Weasley, forcing herself to breath. They couldn't know that she was a Nagual.

"New third-year course schedules," said George, passing then, over. "What's up with you, Gen?"

"Malfoy," said Ron, sitting down on George's other side and glaring over at the Slytherin table.

George looked up in time to see Malfoy pretending to howl in pain again.

"That little git, forget it, Gen," said George bracingly.

"Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match," said Fred. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?"

Hermione was examining her new schedule.

"Ooh, good, we're starting some new subjects today," she said happily.

"Hermione," said Ron, frowning as he looked over her shoulder, "they've messed up your timetable. Look - they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time."

"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

"But look," said Ron, laughing, "see this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And -" Ron leaned closer to the timetable, disbelieving, "look - underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o'clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"

"Don't be silly," said Hermione shortly. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once."

"Well then -"

"Pass the marmalade," said Hermione.

"But -"

"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my timetable's a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

Just then, Hagrid entered the Great Hall. He was wearing his long moleskin overcoat and was absent-mindedly swinging a dead polecat from one enormous hand.

"All righ'?" he said eagerly, pausing on his way to the staff table. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five getting' everthin' ready...hope it's OK...me, a teacher...hones'ly..."

He grinned broadly at them and headed off to the staff table, still swinging the polecat.

"Wonder what he's been getting ready?" said Ron, a note of anxiety in his voice.

The Hall was starting to empty as people headed off towards their first lesson. Ron checked his schedule.

"We'd better go, look, Divination's at the top of North Tower. It'll take us ten minutes to get there..."

"I've got muggle studies" Gienah looked down at her schedule to check what floor she'd be going to. "I guess I'll see you in Minnie's class."

As she was leaving Hermes came swooping down to give her a letter, Gienah snatched it off his leg. "About time," she growled under her breath as she walked to the second floor, opening the letter in her hands.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _I won't deny that I will be taking an active approach in finding my friend but that there is no need for your concerns. I will take every precaution necessary. I cannot say anymore of the matter nor I hope will you press for further information. I will write you weekly as per usual. I hope you too will take care in keeping your nose clean and out of trouble. I would rather not dread a letter concerning another life threatening creature that you've barely managed to get away from by the skin of your teeth._

 _Love,_

 _Your father_

 _Hey doll,_

 _I am keeping a close eye on Remus. It is not your job to worry. Enjoy your electives. Work hard, play hard. I will send you an update regarding your muggle lessons soon along with a parcel of textbooks. If at any time you feel it is overwhelming you, do not suffer in silence. And Merlin's sake, listen to your other father. No fighting dangerous beasts or dark lords. By all means if you get bored get up to some good old days marauder mischief. Prank a few Slytherins. Explore the castle after-hours. Hell, kiss a few boys in broom cupboards if you fancy it. Just no more damn basilisks, or devil's snare, or necromancers, or dark lords!_

 _Love,_

 _Your_ _favourite_ _father_

Gienah walked into her class resigned. Lupin was going ahead with it all and wasn't going to tell her a thing. It was worst than knowing. She loathed being kept in the dark. Hermione sat next to her and as she looked around she noted there were only seven people in their class. Their professor Charity Burbage was a kind faced witch with a heart shaped face and greying brown hair.

"Welcome to Muggle Studies. My name is Charity Burbage, do call me Charity. We are here as equals. I will, of course, teach you what is required for the exams but ultimately we will learn from each other. I expect you treat each other with respect you ask from others. I have never felt the need to enforce strict restrictions in class. If you wish to go to the bathroom please to do so without asking my permission. I do not expect you to raise your hand when you wish to talk. Muggle studies is not a precise art such as potions or transfiguration. Muggle studies is a discussion, a debate, a look at the wider history of our species, the present concerning the ways they live their life and our cohabitation, and finally both the future of muggle kind and wizarding kind. This is an interdisciplinary subject, making the studies unique to you. If you require any help, I will assist you. Any questions concerning our discipline?"

Hermione raised her hand.

"Granger."

"Could you demonstrate in which way the subject could be interdisciplinary?"

"History of Magic is rather complementary, especially on topics such as the statute of secrecy. Care of Magical Creatures offer a remarkable insight into the ways in which species evolve. Potions is much like muggle science, requiring precision and trial and error. Herbology is also similar to muggle sciences. Science and technology are areas wizards are completely inept and we will see how these two things have transformed the muggle world."

Hermione was scribbling away.

"I understand half of you are muggle-borns in this class so bear with me in the first term as we cover the basic facts of muggle life."

"How will the subject progress in later years?" Hermione asked.

"We will look closely at muggle-wizard relations, particularly the laws and how they differ worldwide. You will also have a chance to study the vast literature concerning the phenomena that is muggle-born children and squibs. The latter will require an understanding of the obscure branch of the origin of magic."

"Now, if you could please fill in this quick pop quiz so I know where you are all at in your muggle trivia. After you finish please raise your hand."

The questions concerned modes of travel, explanations of different muggle careers, their legal system and so on. Gienah smiled as she tried to provide as much detail as possible. This was going to be a class like no other.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were late for Transfiguration. Gienah raised her eyebrow at Hermione as she sat beside her. She soon found out why most of the class looked liked they had seen a grim. Apparently Harry had.

"Absolute nonsense" Hermione huffed. Gienah laughed, glad she hadn't taken a subject she knew was at a loss with those without the eye, and Gienah doubted she did have the eye. She left the future to Luna's hands.

After a light lunch of soup the four were glad to be out breathing in the fresh air. Yesterday's rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale gray, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as they set off for their first ever Care of Magical Creatures class.

Ron and Hermione weren't speaking to each other. Harry and Gienah walked beside them in silence as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when she spotted three only-too-familiar backs ahead of them that she realized they must be having these lessons with the Slytherins. Malfoy was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling. Gienah was quite sure she knew what they were talking about.

Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it - make sure yeh can see - now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books -"

"How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out too; some, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips.

"Hasn' - hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.

Only Gienah and Harry nodded.

"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look -"

He took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.

"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy sneered. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!"

"I - I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione.

"Oh, tremendously funny!" said Malfoy. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Hagrid was looking downcast and Harry wanted Hagrid's first lesson to be a success.

"Righ' then," said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his thread, "so - so yeh've got yer books an'...an'...now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on..."

He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight.

"God, this place is going to the dogs," said Malfoy loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him -"

"Shut up, Ferret," Gienah rolled her eyes. "What doesn't your father hear about?"

"Careful, Black, or he'll hear of your extracurricular acti -"

"Oooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing toward the opposite side of the paddock.

Trotting toward them were a dozen Hippogriffs. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, brilliantly, orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures.

"Gee up, there!" he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"

Once you got over the first shock of seeing something that was half horse, half bird, you started to appreciate the Hippogriffs' gleaming coats, changing smoothly from feather to hair, each of them a different color: stormy gray, bronze, pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black.

"So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer..."

Gienah and Harry were the only ones that happily came forward. Ron and Hermione, however, approached the fence cautiously. The rest of the class retreated.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is, they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle weren't listening; they were talking in an undertone and Gienah had a nasty feeling they were plotting how best to disrupt the lesson.

"Yeh always wait fer the Hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt."

"Right - who wants ter go first?"

Most of the class backed farther away in answer.

Gienah raised her hand with a wink at Hagrid.

"Now, now Gen!" Hagrid grinned. "We all know ya and 'arry are well versed in magical creatures. Maybe let someone else have a go. Ron?"

Ron gulped but climbed over the paddock fence nonetheless.

"Good man!" roared Hagrid. "Right then - let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak."

He untied one of the chains, pulled the gray Hippogriff away from its fellows, and slipped off its leather collar. The class on the other side of the paddock seemed to be holding its breath. Malfoy's eyes were narrowed maliciously.

"Easy now, Ron," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink...Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much..."

Ron's eyes immediately began to water, but he didn't shut them. Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head and was staring at Ron with one fierce orange eye. "Tha's it," said Hagrid. "Tha's it, Ron...now, bow."

Ron gave a short bow and then looked up.

The Hippogriff was still staring haughtily at him. Then the Hippogriff suddenly bent its scaly front knees and sank into what was an unmistakable bow.

"Well done!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right - yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"

Ron moved slowly toward the Hippogriff and reached out toward it. He patted the beak several times and the Hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.

The class broke into applause.

"Righ' then, Ron," said Hagrid. "I reckon he migh' let yeh ride him!"

Ron looked at Harry for help but Harry and Gienah just grinned at him.

"Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint," said Hagrid, "an' mind yeh don' pull any of his feathers out, he won' like that..."

Ron put his foot on the top of Buckbeak's wing and hoisted himself onto its back. Buckbeak stood up.

"Go on, then!" roared Hagrid, slapping the Hippogriffs hindquarters.

Without warning, twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of Ron, he just had time to seize the Hippogriff around the neck before he was soaring upward. It was nothing like a broomstick, and Ron knew which one he preferred; the Hippogriff's wings beat uncomfortably on either side of him, catching him under his legs and making him feel he was about to be thrown off; the glossy feathers slipped under his fingers, he felt himself rocking backward and forward as the hindquarters of the Hippogriff rose and fell with its wings.

Buckbeak flew him once around the paddock and then headed back to the ground. He just managed to hold on and push himself straight again.

"Good work, Ron!" roared Hagrid as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"

Emboldened by Ron's success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the Hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock. Neville ran repeatedly backward from his, which didn't seem to want to bend its knees. Hermione practiced on the chestnut, while Ron watched.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful.

"This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Ron to hear him. "I knew it must have been, if Weasley could do it...I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to the Hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"

It happened in a flash of steely talons; Malfoy let out a high pitched scream and next moment, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes.

"I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled as the class panicked. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"

"Yer not dyin'!" said Hagrid, who had gone very white. "Someone help me - gotta get him outta here -"

Hermione ran to hold open the gate as Hagrid lifted Malfoy easily. As they passed, Gienah saw that there was a long, deep gash on Malfoy's arm; blood splattered the grass and Hagrid ran with him, up the slope toward the castle.

Very shaken, the Care of Magical Creatures class followed at a walk. The Slytherins were all shouting about Hagrid.

"They should sack him straight away!" said Pansy Parkinson, who was in tears.

"It was Malfoy's fault!" snapped Dean Thomas. Crabbe and Goyle flexed their muscles threateningly.

They all climbed the stone steps into the deserted entrance hall.

"I'm going to see if he's okay!" said Pansy, and they all watched her run up the marble staircase. The Slytherins, still muttering about Hagrid, headed away in the direction of their dungeon common room; Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione proceeded upstairs to Gryffindor Tower.

"You think he'll be all right?" said Hermione nervously.

"Course he will. Madam Pomfrey can mend cuts in about a second," said Harry, who had had far worse injuries mended magically by the nurse.

"That was a really bad thing to happen in Hagrid's first class, though, wasn't it?" said Ron, looking worried. "Trust Malfoy to mess things up for him..."

They were among the first to reach the Great Hall at dinnertime, hoping to see Hagrid, but he wasn't there.

"They wouldn't fire him, would they?" said Hermione anxiously, not touching her steak-and-kidney pudding.

"They'd better not," said Ron, who wasn't eating either.

"Let them try" Gienah growled. "I'll curse Malfoy before he can say 'My father-"

"Well, you can't say it wasn't an interesting first day back," said Ron gloomily.

They went up to the crowded Gryffindor common room after dinner and tried to do the homework Professor McGonagall had given them, but all four of them kept breaking off and glancing out of the tower window.

"There's a light on in Hagrid's window," Harry said suddenly.

Ron looked at his watch.

"If we hurried, we could go down and see him. It's still quite early..."

So they put their things away and headed out of the portrait hole, glad to meet nobody on their way to the front doors, as they weren't entirely sure they were supposed to be out.

The grass was still wet and looked almost black in the twilight. When they reached Hagrid's hut, they knocked, and a voice growled, "C'min."

Hagrid was sitting in his shirtsleeves at his scrubbed wooden table; his boarhound, Fang, had his head in Hagrid's lap. One look told them that Hagrid had been drinking a lot; there was a pewter tankard almost as big as a bucket in front of him, and he seemed to be having difficulty getting them into focus.

"'Spect it's a record," he said thickly, when he recognized them. "Don' reckon they've ever had a teacher who lasted on'y a day before."

"You haven't been fired, Hagrid!" gasped Hermione.

"Not yet," said Hagrid miserably, taking a huge gulp of whatever was in the tankard. "But's only a matter o' time, I'n't, after Malfoy..."

"How is he?" said Ron as they all sat down. "It wasn't serious, was it?"

"Madam Pomfrey fixed him best she could," said Hagrid dully, "but he's sayin' it's still agony...covered in bandages...moanin'..."

"He's faking it," said Harry at once. "Madam Pomfrey can mend anything. She regrew half my bones last year. Trust Malfoy to milk it for all it's worth."

"The little weasal-" Gienah curled her fists.

"School gov'nors have bin told, o' course," said Hagrid miserably. "They reckon I started too big. Shoulda left Hippogriffs fer later...one flobberworms or summat...Jus' thought it'd make a good firs' lesson's all my fault..."

"It's all Malfoy's fault, Hagrid!" said Hermione earnestly.

"What idiot doesn't know you have to watch your mouth with a hippogriff," Gienah said shaking her head. "It's the same with potions. Follow the wrong instructions and you'll be melting your own flesh. That ain't no one's fault but the student who fails to listen."

"Yeah, don't worry, Hagrid, we'll back you up," said Ron.

Tears leaked out of the crinkled corners of Hagrid's beetle-black eyes. He grabbed both Harry and Ron and pulled them into a bone-breaking hug.

"I think you've had enough to drink, Hagrid," said Hermione firmly. She took the tankard from the table and went outside to empty it.

"Ah, maybe she's right," said Hagrid, letting go of Harry and Ron, who both staggered away, rubbing their ribs. Hagrid heaved himself out of his chair and followed Hermione unsteadily outside. They heard a loud splash.

"What's he done?" said Harry nervously as Hermione came back in with the empty tankard.

"Stuck his head in the water barrel," said Hermione, putting the tankard away.

Hagrid came back, his long hair and beard sopping wet, wiping the water out of his eyes.

"That's better," he said, shaking his head like a dog and drenching them all. "How yeh all finding yer first day back?"

"Muggle studies was fascinating!" Gienah enthused. "Dad's getting me a tutor to pass muggle qualifications. They're called GCSE's. General somethin' somethin'. I need at least five so I'm doing English Literature, English Language, Maths, History, Triple Sciences and then maybe Law and Politics as well. I should be able to take them at the end of my fifth year and they normally take two years learning so I should manage to pass them at the most."

"You didn't mention any of this with me?" Harry looked accusingly at Gienah.

"I didn't think you'd be interested-" Gienah explained.

"I might be" Harry said defensively. "Just because you get the best grades doesn't make me academically redundant."

"I know that Harry," Gienah said quickly. "Are you interested? It'd be nice not having to do all this on our own".

Hermione smiled nervously.

"Ron?" Harry asked.

Ron shrugged.

"We're in".

 ****

 **A.N. Really not sure where the third year is going. I hope you can't tell too badly.**


	17. Lee Harper

Chapter Twenty One: **Lee Harper**

The few years between graduation and Gienah's birth was possibly the worst years of Remus Lupin's life. Despite his impressive school records, his affliction preceded him. Lupin was sneered at, yelled at, spat at- what hurt the most was when they ran. Fear. He had never felt so inhuman.

James and Sirius were accepted into the auror programme no problems asked. Lily became the fulltime unofficial medi-witch for the Order despite her interest in joining the Ministry Law Enforcement Department. Even Peter managed to get a job at an apothecary. Lupin resorted to working for muggles in stock taking, cleaning, repairs. Although there was plenty of work out there, he felt like he was wasting away. With the war raging on, all his friends were being useful. What was he offering? Those few months Lupin ended up meeting a group of outcasts. A few werewolves, a vampire, a hag and a crook. Marcus Blott was among them. They met in a muggle pub on the outskirts of Plymouth most nights, drinking what little they made. Half of them were his housemates. They lived in a derelict warehouse in Falmouth, the basement warded so they could transform during the full moon. Often they would forget they were impoverished and living a half life as they smoked and played poker with copper coins and laughed at Mundungus Fletcher's wild anecdotes. Other times the lack of privacy and home comforts drove them at each others throats. It was a hard life. But they made it work. They made things last. Magic hadn't left them bereft and Lupin was rather good at it. Lupin was teased and affectionately called Mother Hen, cooking and housekeeping. On good days they were the lost boys. On bad days they were lost.

Eventually he got the call from Dumbledore. He was finally needed for the Order. He would go undercover and turn the allegiance of some of the most dangerous werewolves in the country. He couldn't tell his boys the truth. He said he'd found some work in the north. He'd keep in touch. The look in their eyes. Dissappointment. Betrayal.

Marcus Blott wrote to him a few months later. Told him he would try his luck in France. It was the last he heard of Marcus. But he was sure he'd find himself a new life, free from persecution. The French were kinder to diversity, he told himself. Eventually Voldemort was gone. Gienah was his responsibility and he relished in having a slice of normality. Nine to fives at the bookshop, reading Gienah her bedtime stories, walks in the woods, cooking dinner for the two of them… Had he forgotten others did not live so privileged a life. Could not dream of having children. Yes, in all honesty he had.

As Lupin packed his books and his maps he realized this was no noble, Gryffindor act. It was a necessity borne from guilt.

Lupin created a new identity by the name of Lee Harvey, half-blood, Hogwarts dropout, dealing in underground trading in magical creatures. Lupin cringed at the thought of Gienah knowing he was impersonating her worst enemy. The wizarding equivalent of a muggle poacher and smuggler. For the last month he had been working under the alias conducting owl deliveries with minor crooks in the field. Now he had to relocate to the hub of underground activity. Knockturn Alley.

Lupin had grown his beard and his hair back into a ponytail, changed his amber eyes to a beetle black, got muggle tattoos down his left arm and removed one of his front tooth. He dressed in muggle gear. Skinny jeans and faded t-shirts. He had piercings in his ear, nose and lip. His dragon hide leather shoes looked expensive and he was sure to buy quality clothing. He needed to look like a successful trader.

"A room for the night" Lupin said to the maid behind the bar and passed her a few galleons. She hardly raised an eyebrow at the generous amount and gave him a key and pointed to the stairs behind the bar. Lupin winked at her and went to settle into his new home.

The inn was called The Gobbler. It was one of the nicer inns in the backstreets of Knockturn Alley. Although supposedly infamous for its dark inhabitants, most were petty criminals and impoverished outcasts. Shunned pregnant women, disowned relatives, squibs, warlocks and the odd werewolf. It saddened Lupin to see so many children that looked too much like they belonged in a Charles Dickens novel. Toothless smiles, and tattered shoes. Pickpocketing or sweeping. They were doing what everyone else were trying to do. Making a living. Lupin tore his eyes from the closed window and the hustle and bustle beneath him to unpack his few possessions. He then sat at the rickety table and wrote to Sirius and Gienah.

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _I'm where I need to be. As far as Gienah is concerned I'm safe, I'm at the cottage and the extent of my travels is the odd visit to the library. I doubt I'll see you for a few weeks mate, I need to be trusted and if it is what I suspect it is, I'll be uncovering more than one missing werewolf._

 _I have left several tupperware containers filled with your dinner meals and the freezer has muggle ready-made meals which you just bung in the oven. I'm sure you can manage toast and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. It's about time you grew up._

 _Love,_

 _Remus_

Lupin woke up in the early hours the next day. It had just passed two and some drunk had aimed a brick through his window. Lupin placed a Imperturbable charm on the window and sat on the side of his bed feeling well rested. He'd slept a full ten hours.

There were several things on his mind. There wasn't a real plan to his madness. Firstly, he had to blend in, build a believable persona in Knockturn Alley, meet the right people. Secondly, he had to track the people that dealt with the werewolf hunters. Carmichael was on his list but he had no idea how to reach him so that was pending. Right now, he had a few meetings with some shady gentlemen in the next few days selling a few Grade A substances. Werewolf blood being one of them. If that didn't make someone sit up and pay attention he didn't know what would. He also had a burglary to execute. If he didn't have the goods, he wouldn't attract the customers. Lupin sighed wondering if he should had robbed Sirius instead. Course, that might attract unwanted attention and he would be stealing from Gienah too. But maybe a self-entitled rich pureblood was a little too cocky for his first heist. But then, it was Malfoy.

Lupin chuckled as he wondered what James would say looking at him now. Former prefect, straight a student, a common crook. Lupin brushed his teeth in the little sink in the corner, looked in the mirror at the changed man, the face of Lee Harper. He no longer bothered with the glamours he normally cast on his scars and he was proud to say, he looked rather formidable.

Stomach growling he summoned an apple from his bag and munched noisily whilst he browsed the ground plans for the Malfoy Manor. He had only just begun the outside layout. Indoors was a great blank space. Throwing the core into the bin he grabbed his wand and apparated.

Lupin was standing a quarter mile off the Manor in Wiltshire.

A.N. Unfinished chapter will continue to be updated so Lupin's storyline isn't unevenly scattered everywhere. Skip if you would rather read in one go.


	18. Revolution

Chapter Twenty-Two: **Revolution**

Malfoy didn't reappear in classes until late on Thursday morning, when the Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions. He swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm covered in bandages and bound up in a sling, acting, in Gienah's opinion, as though he were the heroic survivor of some dreadful battle.

"How is it, Draco?" simpered Pansy Parkinson. "Does it hurt much?"

"Yeah," said Malfoy, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But Gienah saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away.

"Pathetic." Gienah spat in his direction. "He's not even ashamed! Who is proud to fake an injury-"

Ron pinched her and pointed his head towards Snape.

"Settle down, settle down," said Professor Snape idly.

Harry and Ron scowled at each other; Snape wouldn't have said 'settle down' if they'd walked in late, he'd have given them detention. But Malfoy had always been able to get away with anything in Snape's classes; Snape was head of Slytherin House, and generally favored his own students above all others.

They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Gienah and Ron, so that they were preparing their ingredients on the same table.

"Sir," Malfoy called, "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm -"

"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," said Snape without looking up.

Ron went brick red.

"There's nothing wrong with your arm," he hissed at Malfoy.

Malfoy smirked across the table.

"Weasley, you heard Professor Snape; cut up these roots."

Ron seized his knife, pulled Malfoy's roots toward him, and began to chop them roughly, so that they were all different sizes.

"Professor," drawled Malfoy, "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir."

Snape approached their table, stared down his hooked nose at the roots, then gave Ron an unpleasant smile from beneath his long, greasy black hair.

"Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."

"But, sir -!"

Ron had spent the last quarter of an hour carefully shredding his own roots into exactly equal pieces.

"Now," said Snape in his most dangerous voice.

Ron shoved his own beautifully cut roots across the table at Malfoy, then took up the knife again.

"And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned," said Malfoy, his voice full of malicious laughter.

"Black, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," said Snape.

Gienah took Malfoy's shrivelfig as Ron began trying to repair the damage to the roots he now had to use. Gienah skinned the shrivelfig as fast as she could and flung it back across the table at Malfoy without speaking wishing she could skin him. Malfoy was smirking more broadly than ever.

"Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" he asked them quietly.

"None of your business," said Ron jerkily, without looking up.

"I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," said Malfoy in a tone of mock sorrow. "Father's not very happy about my injury -"

"Keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury," snarled Ron.

"¨C he's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this" - he gave a huge, fake sigh - "who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?"

"Didn't I already warn you once you jumped up little ferret," said Gienah, accidentally beheading a dead caterpillar because his hand was shaking in anger, "Mess with me and your dragon meat"

Gienah bared her fangs, morphing back to teeth in the second he blinked to take them in. Gienah smiled sweetly at him with normal human sized teeth though Malfoy swore he saw a sheen of green on her skin. Malfoy scowled and returned to his potion.

Gienah turned back to her potion and yawned as she went through the motions. She could brew this in her sleep. Snape was stalking the classroom. He came to stand in front of her in what she believed was a move to intimidate her, but she continued, the oversized bat's scare tactics rarely worked with her. She continued chopping her caterpillars when she heard Snape whisper "Evanesco".

Gienah looked up at him furiously when he turned her potions book to a later chapter.

"You have one hour."

Snape had pointed her to the Animagus determining potion. One she'd done once and not to the greatest success and she was yet to understand where she had gone wrong. Suddenly awake she went to get the necessary ingredients and started from scratch.

"-finally decided to pressure the ministry to do something. The Blott's are an influential family of course but I don't see how-"

"Blott?" Gienah whispered to Seamus.

"Aye, not seen the newspaper this morning?"

Gienah grabbed it off him and saw the Blott family were calling for an investigation on their missing son. And more importantly, it's brought to their attention a similar Werewolf disappearance by the name of Nicholas Akachi one year ago. Gienah felt the blood drain from her face as she fisted the newspaper.

"Gienah?" Seamus looked at her warily. "I'm sure yer da'll be fine-"

"My father says even Greyback's getting flighty. Hope your father is watching his back, Black"

Gienah just looked at the photo of Blott's family.

Malfoy's thin mouth was curving in a mean smile.

"I suppose you must be used to it. Parents abandoning you." Malfoy let out a low, sneering laugh. "What's the track record? One dead, one imprisoned… and one missing."

Gienah was growling. Ron held her curled fists and Harry muttured "Less than an hour. You can pulp him later. Hell, I'll help."

Gienah repeated the instructions in her head to distract her from Malfoy's satisfied smirk. Two clockwise, one anti-clockwise. Add the sprig of goblin root and one rat's spleen. Rest for one minute. Five crushed beetles and seven leaves of Hellebore.

Finally the bell rang and Gienah corked her potion, ran up to Snape's desk and was the first to leave the room. Gienah didn't think she could stomach lunch. Oh how she yearned to gouge out his eyes. At an attempt to control her temper she summoned her firebolt and took her aggression to the skies. For a few glorious moments she forgot all about Malfoy's dirty tricks and relished the feel of adrenaline as she pushed the broom to maximum speeds. Eventually she slowed down and lazily drifted mid-air.

"Black!" Gienah looked down at the insect figure and swooped down with a smile on her face. It was Diggory.

"Seeing as you're taking me on a date maybe we should be going on first-names?" Gienah suggested.

"Gienah." He said, as if tasting her name in his mouth.

"Skipping lunch?" Cedric asked.

"Looking for a bit of peace and quiet" Gienah shrugged.

"I can leave" He teased her lightly.

"From a certain smarmy Slytherin." Gienah snarled.

Cedric laughed.

"You Gryffindors, all the same." Cedric shook his head. "Well, I brought lunch out with me.. on a similar endeavour."

"There's more than one smarmy Slytherin?" Gienah clutched her chest dramatically. "Better-off-dead"

"Not exactly. I don't think Malfoy's smarminess could possibly be equalled." Cedric said very seriously, taking her arm cordially to a dry spot near the lake.

"Nor I" Gienah agreed.

"You shouldn't let him get to you like this." Cedric advised. "It's his favourite sport. And I can't blame him entirely for wanting to rile you up."

"Baloney" Gienah scrunched up her nose.

Cedric looked at her closely. Gienah raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"I'm going to kiss you now." Cedric said, scanning her body for any life threatening creatures.

Gienah held off the urge to snort as he swooped in for a sweet and open kiss on her mouth. Mmm, Malfoy who?

After a good thorough distracting Gienah walked to her DADA class. They all sat down, took out their books, quills, and parchment, and were talking when Professor Vandeviere finally entered the room.

"Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson."

A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books. They had never had a practical Defense Against the Dark Arts class before, unless you counted the memorable class last year when their old teacher had brought a cageful of pixies to class and set them loose.

With a wave of his wand the tables were stacked at the sides of the room and several large objects appeared in the room, covered by large white sheets. Gienah suspected they were statues.

"Please gather in a circle." Vandeviere clapped his hands. "Your third year curriculum is largely concerned with certain magical creatures. You may call them 'dark' though I question what renders such a creature dark from birth".

Their was a clear disapproval in his tone, but was not directed to them.

"I hope no student of mine fails to distinguish the true mark of a wizard on the basis of his choices and not his origin. Regardless, it is crucial you familiarize yourself with these creatures as they do pose a threat to you, but remember you pose a threat to them. Ladies and gentleman, meet your objects of study."

The sheets vanished and standing before them eight very real and threatening looking creatures. The whole class retreated until they felt their backs to the wall. A few drew their wands. Pansy Parkinson shrieked. Malfoy yelped to Gienah's amusement.

"Werewolf, salamander, grindylow, hinkypunk, kappa, red cap and our very own boggart." Vandeviere revealed a toothy smile. "And me"

The creatures were larger than life but strangely static though they purred, blinked and paced. They did not attack. Gienah edged towards the werewolf with his amber eyes and baring fangs. Her eyes watered a little. He was magnificent. Never had she seen a werewolf so close. She reached tentatively to stroke the wolf's muzzle. The wolf purred and curled at the bottom of her feet.

"Intriguing," muttered Vandeviere. "These creatures are animations, sentience activated by a hair of each creature in the amulet they wear around their neck. However they are unable to cause serious injury."

Malfoy flinched.

"I would like each of you to do a sketch of three creatures of your choice, noting down any mannerisms or interactions you observe. Here are your drawing materials. Please hand them in at the end of the lesson. I will circle the room answering any questions. Begin."

Most approached the werewolf first with wide eyes and tentative steps. Gienah patted the wolf and promised she'd return as she headed for the salamander. Familiar with the fiery lizards she approached with ease, sitting cross legged on the floor as she placed her paper on the board and picked up a charcoal. From the corner of her eye she had a perfect view of Malfoy and Zabini, talking lazily with half an eye on the Red Cappa pacing the floor. Looking around to see if the coast was clear she drew her wand and transfigured Malfoy's charcoal into a sharp knife as he drew the Red Cappa.

"Ouch!" Malfoy released the charcoal and sucked his finger but not before a drop fell on to the paper. Gienah watched as if in slow motion as the kappa was brought violently out of his stupor and ran at Malfoy, it's scaly paws releasing sharp nails as he sunk into Malfoy's leg. Malfoy screamed, stood and began shaking his leg violently.

"Stay still boy!" Vandeviere had his wand out and walked towards him, holding his nose as he aimed a stinging jinx on the demon monkey like creature. The kappa howled in pain and released Malfoy.

" _Apathas_ " The professor calmly pointed the wand at the kappa and he froze and turned into a fierce looking statue made of stone. "Apologies, I should had taken precautions. In future, the incantation of the inactivate charm is apathas. Repeat after me. Apathas."

The class nervously repeated the incantation.

"The wand movement is a gentle flick downwards." Vandeviere demonstrated. "Zabini, take Malfoy to the hospital wing. The blood prevents me from healing him with ease."

Malfoy muttered something about his father. One look from Vandeviere silenced any complaint and Gienah had to bite on her fist to stop from bursting into hysterics.

"I hope everyone has noted the kappa is driven mad with the scent of blood. Much like another creature in this room". Vandeviere continued as if nothing had happened.

"Sir, how come you were able to restrain yourself." Seamus asked with awe.

Vandeviere tutted.

"I am no newborn blood thirsty vampire Mr. Finnegan. Your assignment for next lesson; two foots of parchment concerning the lifestyle of modern vampires, extra marks for creativity."

The class moaned, a few glared at Seamus for being responsible for homework on their first week back.

"Ms. Black", Professor Vandeviere conjured a chair by the Salamander and watched her with some interest. "I expect this year will be a breeze considering you assist in the care of your creatures at the safari of yours."

Gienah nodded, wondering how he knew but then, the wizarding world was a small place.

"You are familiar with all the creatures in this room?" He asked.

"Not the boggart, though I know the theory of how you get rid of one." Gienah answered, finding she was staring at his dark enchanting eyes. Vandeviere blinked and Gienah shook her head.

"You have an additional assignment. A footlong parchment with a factsheet on Erklings and Dugbogs, accompanied by drawings."

The lesson moved swiftly, the creatures were highly sentient and fascinating to observe without the threat of attacking at any given moment. When the bell rang and the students poured out of the classroom it was mostly buzzing with praise for their fanged professor.

Dinner that evening Gienah was smiling stupidly, recalling the kappa attack and Cedric's soft lips and wicked -

"Gienah!" Hermione was waving a forked carrot at her face.

"What?" Gienah scowled, returning to her risotto.

"You were daydreaming." Hermione fidgeted in her seat. "Again! And you're not telling me something."

Ginny nodded her head in agreement.

"Fine" Gienah sighed, gesturing that they come forward. They moved closer conspiringly. "I transfigured Malfoy's chalk into a knife knowing kappas when lala at the scent of blood. Thought he deserved a real injury."

Hermione's jaw dropped. Ginny laughed as she looked toward the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy was no longer enjoying Pansy fawning over him now.

"Have you had a class with Vandeviere yet Gin?" Gienah asked cheerfully.

"I'm in love." Ginny said with a sigh.

"Poor Harry," Hermione snorted.

"You realize its the vampire in him that makes him alluring Ginny?" Gienah asked with concern.

"More puke-worthingly he's old enough to be your great-great-great-great-"

"-great-great grandfather" George finished.

Gienah raised her eyebrow.

"Slight exaggeration but still- the point stands," Fred shrugged.

"Stop eavesdropping!" Ginny flushed.

"How else are we to know that Malfoy's incident was no accident," George grinned. "If you still want to vent your anger we have a book filled with prank ideas."

"Literally" Fred nodded eagerly.

"I'm open to ideas" Gienah smiled with a mischievous look towards Malfoy.

"Excellent!" said Fred and George.

Hermione shook her head.

Friday morning Hermes swooped down with the owl post, carrying three large boxes wrapped with string. Gienah rose and caught the boxes, falling back on to the bench with a thud. Other houses peered over towards the Gryffindor table with interest.

"Yuk", Ron wiped the splattered porridge off his face with a groan.

Gienah read the note attached to the first box.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _I have arranged with Professor Burbage for your lessons to take place in Hogwarts every Saturday and Sunday morning. Here are your textbooks for the subjects you've requested as well as something called ICT. Expect your tutor in your muggle studies classroom at 9AM tomorrow morning._

 _Love,_

 _Your father_

The four of them eagerly began unwrapping the parcels inside the boxes. Some looked awfully technical and rather dull. Science looked the most interesting with its diagrams and tables.

"God, this takes me back," Harry smiled as he flicked through a chemistry book.

"It's gobbledygook" Ron looked hopelessly at the symbols. "Dad's going to be insufferable."

Hermione looked as if Christmas had come early. Ginny picked up one of their literature texts and thumbed through it with mild interest. Shakespeare.

"I've been thinking" Gienah said as they walked off towards the dungeons for potions that morning. "You two may as well do muggle studies."

"We'll have to drop divination" Harry said with a frown. "We'll _have_ to drop divination!"

Ron grinned.

"I'm going straight to McGonagall after potions," Harry said with a sigh of relief. "No more grims, no more cups of bloody tea".

Following dinner a crowd of Gryffindors walked out into the grounds, heading for the Quidditch pitch. It was the trials for the team. Keepers came out in force knowing Wood would be leaving the next year. The best way to catch the future captain's eye was to play reserve this year. Gienah, Fred and George had to try out as usual, Wood going on about complacency and comfort zones. Ron was looking sickly. Gienah rubbed circles on his back, hoping he wasn't going to puke again. Ginny had made a surprise appearance looking far more confident than her older brother.

After an hour and a half of drills and workouts Wood reappointed the same team to the groans of the crowd.

"Reserves!" Wood called out, holding a bundle of quidditch robes in his arm. "Chasers. Demelza Robbins, Ginny Weasley, Dean Thomas. Beaters, Cormac McLaggen, Arthur Marchbanks. Seeker, Harry Potter. Keeper, Ron Weasley."

Ron gaped at Wood, the robes flung to him dropping on his head. There were mutterings of nepotism, but Wood ignored it as he gathered his players.

"I expect the reserves to be present at every practice this year. As my last year here I have my eye on that cup not just for this year, but the next year, and the year after that. We're in this for the long run. Gryffindor!" Wood roared and they all pumped the air as they roared back at him. Gienah was high on adrenaline. Ron had snapped out of his temporary daze and thumped Harry and George on the back.

That evening the four friends gathered in the common room surrounded by muggle textbooks. Gienah began with the English literature reading list, the Lord of the Flies which reminded her of a play she went to see with Lupin last year. Ron was reading Turn of the Screw. Harry and Hermione were looking through the science textbooks. They were large and heavy but bright and cheerful with coloured coded chapters and fun diagrams.

The twins came through and just shook their heads.

"Let's get this straight". George said with his elbows resting on his knees.

"You're attempting to achieve muggle qualifications equivalent to OWL's as well as your OWL's?"

"Yes." Ron said clearly.

"I get that Gen and Mione want to go to this place called University. Met a few chicks at the cinema that went to one of those. But you and Harry are doing it for the hell of it?"

"Pretty much." Ron yawned. "I might not pass but it's dead useful this."

"Imagine incorporating this stuff with magic." Harry grinned. "The possibilities."

"I'm out." George said with a disappointed look at Gienah.

Around two in the morning Gienah stood up and looked out the window.

"I'm bored." Gienah stated to the room.

Ron had fallen asleep on the sofa. Hermione was yawning as she made notes on her new color coded exercise books. Harry was engrossed in East of Eden.

"I'm going out." Gienah said. Hermione was too busy taking notes and Harry was cut off from their world. Summoning her cloak she walked out of the portrait hole, leaving the snoring fat lady behind as she sought a late night adventure. She wondered if a certain centaur was roaming the forest at this time. She never did catch his name.

As she climbed down the second flight of stairs she heard footsteps from the entrance hall. Gienah squeaked as she looked down and saw the familiar batlike figure that was her potions master. He appeared to be walking towards the dungeons. Wondering why he would be fully dressed at this hour she took a deep breath and before she lost her nerve stealthily ran down the stairs to follow him.

The dungeons were eery in the night without any students scurrying to class or Slytherin's loitering in the corners. The green eery light was barely lit, casting ominous shadows. Gienah heard noises coming from Snape's classroom. It sounded like he was brewing. Why at this time, and in the classroom instead of his chambers, was beyond her. She closed her eyes and transformed into a common spider. Gienah scuttled under the door and crawled up the wall before perching herself on a shelf.

The spiders vision was off from a distance so she closed her eyes and focused on something she'd been working with with Remus in the summer. Opening her eyes she found she was human but miniscule. SIlently cheering she watched the professor working away with a dozen workstations around him covered in various ingredients. Books were laid open and a notebook with black spiky handwriting. Looking at him muttering over the notebook, scrawling measurements out and replacing them with new units she guessed he was brewing his own concoction. Yawning she thought this wasn't the most interesting-

CRASH

Snape dropped his wand in the cauldron and swore out loud. WIth a pair of tweezers he fished the wand out and wiped it on his robes before scurrying to the open corridor. The Dungeons were large and spacious but retained a dingy and suffocating impression. With an absence of staircases all floors had at its centre there was a large rectangular space with no real function at all. Gienah oft wondered how she would design the space. A fountain perhaps or a statue or statues. Vast paintings on the wall and grey suits of armour in each corner. Gienah turned into a spider once more and followed the professor, her head occupied with ideas how to renovate the dungeon. She focused her eyes not believing her luck. It was Malfoy! He was sprawled on the floor nursing his foot, a shattered scale around him.

"Draco I can't keep making excuses for you" Snape drawled as he repaired the scales and offered his hand to get the boy onto his feet.

"Just look the other eye" Malfoy said grumpily, leaning on his left foot. "I couldn't sleep. It wasn't like I was smuggling a dragon or sneaking off to visit that oaf of a professor- whatever the hell Potter and Black get up to."

"Were you planning on brewing, or baking?" Snape said with a tug of a smile.

"Brewing."

"A man after my own heart."

"I thought I saw lights." Malfoy said, following his Head of House into the classroom. "Another one of yours?"

Snape nodded and sat down with his head in his hands.

"It's not working." Snape said tiredly.

"I'm sure you'll perfect it sooner than later." The confidence clear in his drawl.

"I hope you were working on something a little more complex than a swelling potion." Snape said. "While you're grade is above average you have two that are consistently higher."

"Granger but- who's the second? Not Michael Corner." Malfoy said with disbelief.

"I'm surprised she manages to elude her year group." Snape said. "Black has come first in all her subjects every year but last. Granger and Black joint."

"That half-breed?" Malfoy sneered. "She hardly contributes in lessons, sits at the back of class and sniggers with Weasley."

"You see what she wants you to see. On her other side she sits with Granger. And why do you call her half-breed?"

Gienah's heart was thumping out of her chest.

"She's the daughter of a werewolf." Malfoy lied quickly.

"You know full well she's the sole Black heiress" Snape chided him.

"Technicalities." Malfoy brushed away. "So what are you brewing?"

"A tracking potion." Snape said. "Well, attempting to. When perfected one - trace - from the target will reveal his or her location. The only drawback is it will locate the target in that moment of time and just the once and will fail to pick up those warded by the Fidelius charm."

"Any particular reason?" Malfoy asked.

"I have heard… rumours that the Dark Lord is regaining power, seeking for his time to truly return." Snape said softly. "Of course I only tell you because it is only a matter of time before your father hears. Many will dismiss these rumours as the rumours that have always circulated but I cannot help but being vigilant."

"But-he is barely a wisp of life?" Malfoy sounded scared. Gienah narrowed her eyes at the wizard that was the most infuriating thorn on her side. But by the sounds of it, she had bigger fish to fry.

"For now." Snape agreed. "But his most loyal servants are not safely behind bars, if one would consider Azkaban secure in the hands of dementors."

"Who are you tracking?" Malfoy asked eagerly.

"Peter Pettigrew." Snape grinned, his eyes a little crazed as he revealed a stump of a finger wrapped in a black cloth.

Gienah felt she could be sick. Luckily, the spider form couldn't make much of a noise even if she tried.

"I wish you luck godfather," Malfoy yawned. "I won't tell a soul."

"Where were you planning to brew your potion?" Snape asked with curiosity.

"Oh, here" Malfoy said sheepishly. "But I see now that it is occupied and I am feeling rather tired."

"Night Draco." Snape said as the door closed and he returned to his revisions. Eventually he gave up and left the room incomplete darkness. Gienah squeaked and scuttled beneath the door and transformed into a magpie before flying to the tower. Transforming as she approached the portrait she rapped her knuckle on the portrait. The Fat Lady continued to sleep. Yawning she thought maybe - maybe- she could just rest for a while, wake her up in an hour or - and Gienah Black fell fast asleep.

The next morning Hermione found her outside the portrait hole. Gienah jumped and stretched her sore muscles, unperturbed by the glare Hermione was giving her.

"Where were you?"

"Snogging centaurs, snooping on professors- you know - the usual" Gienah replied with a large yawn. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"The nonsense you come out with sometimes Gen-" Hermione dragged her down into the hall for breakfast with her. "You didn't go to the kitchens did you? The poor house-elves don't need a 3AM hot cocoa call."

"3AM hot cocoa call sounds like a wonderful idea." Gienah said dreamily. "What time is it?"

"8.30." Hermione said bossily. "Eat breakfast, shower and change."

"Oh yeah, I forgot we had lessons." Gienah groaned, longing for her pillow.

"You were singing a different tune last night." Hermione pointed out as she helped both of them to a healthy portion of porridge, stuck a spoon in her mouth and said "Eat."

"You're so good to me" Gienah said with a mouthful of porridge in her mouth. She left as Harry and Ron came down. Harry still reading East of Eden. Ron looked confused at why he was up so early on a Saturday morning. He hadn't noticed his t-shirt was on the wrong way round and his hair had a cowlick on one side. Sniggering she sped past them with only ten minutes to look presentable.

Gienah arrived just in time, knocking on the door to find everyone already there.

"Good morning" the man in front of her said cheerily. He had coffee eyes. A morning person. Well, she supposed she had to be grateful. They couldn't all resemble zombies - her eyes falling on Ron.

"Good morning professor" Gienah said politely grabbing the seat on the left of Ron.

"Call me Mike." Mike smiled.

Mike was perching on the end of his desk, wearing a faded t-shirt and scruffy jeans. He had a receding hairline and round kind eyes. The man reminded her of Ted Tonks, beer belly and all.

"I'm Mike Douglas, retired teacher of twenty two years. I work at the muggles division now and then with your father Ron. Arthur recommended me to Lord Black and offered a pretty price for a few hours here and there and here I am. Not much else to do but drinks with old mad-eye and cooking for the missus."

He paused as if waiting for a response.

"Are you a muggle?" Ron blurted out.

"I am a squib. Well my mother was a witch. I grew up a muggle with the odd visit to Hogsmeade with me mam and nutty aunt."

After another pause he continued, "I have a degree in History and English Literature and can honestly tell you my skills in maths and science are rudimentary, if that. I will be little help to you for knowledge beyond the book though I have begun my background reading to attempt to give you a wider understanding. You have an advantage in that the studies normally take two years to complete- you have three and you are only taking seven GCSE's not the average ten. A disadvantage in that you lack the foundations and have priority in taking your OWL's. Of course you also have me." Mike laughed.

"I am a unique educator with little interest for the conventional standards of teaching. Lectures, essays, exams are only a small part of the way that I teach. Debate, discussion, museums, galleries, presentations, theatre, books, poetry - this is my style. I wish to stimulate my students."

Hermione nodded enthusiastically and all the other students sat up a little straighter.

"At the end of this year you will be completing your coursework for English Literature, Science and History. You will get a crash course in Arithmetics and this is where we begin. Your books please."

The hour was spent looking at the different topics they would have to know by the end of their three years. It was daunting. They discussed the importance of mathematics in the muggle world.

"In a world without magic, precision is everything. The laws of gravity are constant and without able to manipulate these laws with magic they must utilize the laws to their benefit. Mathematics is crucial to science to predict outcomes. It is also crucial in processing data. Statistics in number of people and ratios and accounting. Wizards leave banking to goblins and look no further in manipulating numbers to do more than potion making. Arithmancy is the one exception and the numbers there are of an obscure branch of magic."

"Well done Hermione" Mike beamed at her. "Now, I understand you have only begun muggle studies but you will soon be in awe of the achievements muggles have made without magic. Imagine the knowledge harnessed by magic. We could be living in an entirely different world."

Mike said this all very seriously as if he was talking of a utopia. "It is exactly my reasons for coming out of retirement for what Black tells me is four promising students. We may be at the beginning of something revolutionary."

Gienah's eyes sparkled, Harry's heart sped up, Hermione was breathing a tad too fast and Ron was grinning like a madman. It was the start of something beautiful.


	19. Splat the Rat

Chapter Twenty-Three: **Splat the Rat**

Nobody really liked Care of Magical Creatures, which, after the action-packed first class, had become extremely dull. Hagrid seemed to have lost his confidence. They were now spending lesson after lesson learning how to look after flobberworms, which had to be some of the most boring creatures in existence.

"Why would anyone bother looking after them?" said Ron, after yet another hour of poking shredded lettuce down the flobberworms' throats.

"Well, flobberworm mucus does aid in the thickening of potions." Hermione said tartly, feeling annoyed at Ron's unhelpful comments. Though she privately agreed.

"You know those fritters you're so fond of?" Gienah asked Ron with an evil grin.

"The light chewy ones?" Ron's eyes lit up. "Man, mum needs to get that recipe."

"Flobberworm fritters." Gienah said with a cackle. "That'll teach you nasty meat-eaters."

Ron was looking a little bit ill after that declaration.

The days whizzed by. Gienah was flooded with reading. The muggle studies took up her available time where she felt restless and sought to make a little mischief. She wondered if Snape had perfected his potion yet and whether she could help capture the traitor.

At the start of October, however, Gienah had something else to occupy her, something so enjoyable it more than made up for his overwhelming studies. The Quidditch season was approaching, and Oliver Wood called a meeting on Thursday evening to discuss tactics for the new season.

Oliver Wood was a burly seventeen-year-old, now in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts. There was a quiet sort of desperation in his voice as he addressed his six fellow team members in the chilly locker rooms on the edge of the darkening Quidditch field.

"This is our last chance - my last chance - to win the Quidditch Cup," he told them, striding up and down in front of them. "I'll be leaving at the end of this year. I'll never get another shot at it. I won't leave without another victory under a belt."

"Blimey Oliver, you'll be here forever" George teased him. Fred shook his head mouthing 'lame'.

We've got the best - ruddy - team - in - the - school," he said, punching a fist into his other hand, the old manic glint back in his eye. "We've got three superb Chasers."

Wood pointed at Alicia Spinner, Angelina Johnson, and Katie Bell.

"We've got two unbeatable Beaters."

"Stop it, Oliver, you're embarrassing us," said Fred and George Weasley together, pretending to blush.

"And we've got a Seeker who has never failed to win us a match!" Wood rumbled, glaring at Gienah with a kind of furious pride.

"Almost", Gienah reminded him, but she was ignored.

"And me," he added as an afterthought.

"We think you're very good too, Oliver," said George.

"Spanking good Keeper," said Fred.

"We'll do it, Oliver!" said Angelina.

"Definitely," said Harry.

Full of determination, the team started training sessions, three evenings a week. The weather was getting colder and wetter, the nights darker, but no amount of mud, wind, or rain could tarnish Gienah's wonderful vision of winning the huge, silver Quidditch Cup once again.

Gienah returned to the Gryffindor common room one evening after training, cold and stiff but pleased with the way practice had gone, to find the room buzzing excitedly.

"What's happened?", she asked Ron and Hermione, who were sitting in two of the best chairs by the fireside and completing some star charts for Astronomy.

"First Hogsmeade weekend," said Ron, pointing at a notice that had appeared on the battered old bulletin board. "End of October. Halloween."

"Excellent," said Fred, who had followed Gienah through the portrait hole. "I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets."

Gienah blushed. Hermione looked questioningly at her but she turned and began striking a conversation with Lee Jordan, a boy she had spoken to twice her whole life. Hermione glared at her for a minute before deciding she'll deal with her later. The common room was emptying and Hermione was reading a heavy novel on the subject of Animagi.

"Gen" Hermione paused and looked across the common room to her dark-haired friend, lying on her stomach writing her potions essay for the next day. Hermione was tempted to pinch her cheeks at the sight of the ink stains on her nose and fingers.

"You ever thought about becoming an animagus?"

"Urm, no, not really" Gienah said quickly, turning back to her essay and allowing the curtain of hair to hide her burning cheeks.

"It'd be dead useful though." Ron piped in. "If you had to make a quick escape, or go somewhere in disguise."

Hermione tilted her head in thought. The silence began to lull them into a trance. Silence, and then, at that moment Crookshanks leapt lightly onto Hermione's lap. A large, dead spider was dangling from his mouth.

"Does he have to eat that in front of us?" said Ron, scowling. The whole room suddenly a little more awake.

"Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?" cooed Gienah.

Crookshanks; slowly chewed up the spider, his yellow eyes fixed insolently on Ron.

"Just keep him over there, that's all," said Ron irritably, turning back to his star chart. "I've got Scabbers asleep in my bag."

Gienah raised her eyebrow at Hermione, both noting the sudden change in him.

"I might get to bed." Harry yawned. "Wake up - early."

"You can copy mine, if you like," said Ron, labeling his last star with a flourish and shoving the chart toward Harry.

Hermione, who disapproved of copying, pursed her lips but didn't say anything when she saw Gienah shaking her head silently. Crookshanks was still staring unblinkingly at Ron, flicking the end of his bushy tail. Then, without warning, he pounced.

"OY!" Ron roared, seizing his bag as Crookshanks sank four sets of claws deep inside it and began tearing ferociously. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!"

Ron tried to pull the bag away from Crookshanks, but Crookshanks clung on, spitting and slashing.

"Ron, don't hurt him!" squealed Hermione; Gienah jumped on to her feet; Ron whirled the bag around, Crookshanks still clinging to it, and Scabbers came flying out of the top -

"SCABBERS!" Ron yelled as Crookshanks freed himself from the remnants of the bag, sprang over the table, and chased after the terrified Scabbers.

Harry made a lunge for Crookshanks but missed; Scabbers streaked through Gienah's legs and shot beneath an old chest of drawers. Crookshanks skidded to a halt, crouched low on his bandy legs, and started making furious swipes beneath it with his front paw.

Ron and Hermione hurried over; Hermione grabbed Crookshanks around the middle and heaved him away; Ron threw himself onto his stomach and, with great difficulty, pulled Scabbers out by the tail.

"Look at him!" he said furiously to Hermione, dangling Scabbers in front of her. "He's skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!"

"Crookshanks doesn't understand it's wrong!" said Hermione, her voice shaking. "All cats chase rats, Ron!"

"There's something funny about that animal!" said Ron, who was trying to persuade a frantically wiggling Scabbers back into his pocket. "It heard me say that Scabbers was in my bag!"

"Oh, what rubbish," said Hermione impatiently. "Crookshanks could smell him, Ron, how else d'you think -"

"That cat's got it in for Scabbers!" said Ron. "And Scabbers was here first, and he's ill!"

Ron marched through the common room and out of sight up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.

Ron was still in a bad mood with Hermione next day. He barely talked to her all through Herbology, even though he and Hermione were working together on the same Puffapod.

"How's Scabbers?" Hermione asked timidly as they stripped fat pink pods from the plants and emptied the shining beans into a wooden pail.

"He's hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking," said Ron angrily, missing the pail and scattering beans over the greenhouse floor.

"Careful, Weasley, careful!" cried Professor Sprout as the beans burst into bloom before their very eyes.

They had Transfiguration next. Gienah was leaning on Harry's shoulder, yawning widely.

"When did you go to sleep?" Harry sighed.

"Urm- late" Gienah flashed him a smile.

"Gen, how do you expect to keep up in lessons if you don't sleep during the night."

Gienah yawned again.

"My darling little brother, what you don't understand is that I don't need to keep up with lessons. I already know most of it. Lessons are like - revision." Gienah explained to him, the pompous tone somewhat diluted by her constant yawning.

"Hermione does the same and manages to get some sleep" Harry pointed out.

"We're not the same person" Gienah snapped.

They were then distracted, however, by a disturbance at the front of the line.

Lavender Brown seemed to be crying. Parvati had her arm around her and was explaining something to Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were looking very serious.

"What's the matter, Lavender?" said Hermione anxiously as Gienah, Harry, and Ron went to join the group.

"She got a letter from home this morning," Parvati whispered. "It's her rabbit, Binky. He's been killed by a fox."

"Oh," said Hermione, "I'm sorry, Lavender."

"I should have known!" said Lavender tragically. "You know what day it is?"

"Er -"

"The sixteenth of October! 'That thing you're dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October!' Remember? She was right, she was right!"

The whole class was gathered around Lavender now. Seamus shook his head seriously. Hermione hesitated; then she said, "You - you were dreading Binky being killed by a fox?"

"Well, not necessarily by a fox," said Lavender, looking up at Hermione with streaming eyes, "but I was obviously dreading him dying, wasn't I?"

"Oh," said Hermione. She paused again. Then -

"Was Binky an old rabbit?"

"N - no!" sobbed Lavender. "H - he was only a baby!"

Parvati tightened her arm around Lavender's shoulders.

"But then, why would you dread him dying?" said Hermione.

Parvati glared at her.

"Well, look at it logically," said Hermione, turning to the rest of the group. She failed to notice Gienah's customary shake of the head. "I mean, Binky didn't even die today, did he? Lavender just got the news today -" Lavender wailed loudly. "¨C and she can't have been dreading it, because it's come as a real shock -"

"Don't mind Hermione, Lavender," said Ron loudly, "she doesn't think other people's pets matter very much."

Gienah glared at Ron.

"Uncalled for Weasley".

"What a surprise? Black takes Granger's side. Is this nerds united?"

Seamus and Dean sniggered before Gienah shot them a warning look.

Professor McGonagall opened the classroom door at that moment, which was perhaps lucky; Gienah and Ron were looking daggers at each other, and when they got into class, they seated themselves on either side of Harry and didn't talk to each other for the whole class. She transfigured her snake into a wallet in the first attempt and spent the rest of the time snoozing. Gienah was shaken awake by Hermione as lesson ended. She stretched with a content smile on her face. There was nothing like a dull transfiguration class to catch up on lost sleep.

"One moment, please!" McGonagall called as the class made to leave. "As you're all in my House, you should hand Hogsmeade permission forms to me before Halloween. No form, no visiting the village, so don't forget!"

Neville put up his hand.

"Please, Professor, I - I think I've lost -"

"Your grandmother sent yours to me directly, Longbottom," said Professor McGonagall. "She seemed to think it was safer. Well, that's all, you may leave. Black, stay behind."

Gienah gulped. The class emptied and the stern professor looked down at her.

"The only reason I didn't make a fine example of your drooling at the back of my class was because you were the only one to complete your transfiguration. But that does _not_ mean you can get away with your impertinent behaviour every lesson. Ten points from Gryffindor"

"Sorry professor" She mumbled, her head bowed down.

"I am concerned that this class is not challenging you Ms. Black." The professor continued.

"Oh no, really I'm challenged plenty!" Gienah said quickly, not wanting further work on top of her muggle studies.

"Professor Burbage informs me you, Potter, Weasley and Granger are taking your muggle qualifications alongside your OWL's Ms. Black"

"We are" Gienah nodded.

"A - revolutionary step. I wish you every luck, but liberties may not be granted. You are still my student."

Gienah nodded.

"You are dismissed." Professor McGonagall sighed.

That night Gienah became restless once again and slipped out of the common room and flew to the dungeons. Sneaking beneath the door she saw the room was empty. Closing her eyes she transformed again and quietly moved to the desk and began opening the drawers, hoping there might be something- anything-

"Ms. Black" a smooth voice called from across the room. Gienah screamed.

Severus Snape looked smug at the reaction he had illicited.

"May I ask what you are doing in my classroom after hours and rummaging through my personal desk?" Snape almost glided towards her.

"How did you get through the wards?" He further demanded.

"It was open" Gienah lied smoothly.

"Don't lie to me you insolent girl" Snape said sharply.

Snape grabbed her hand and forced his way into her eyes. Gienah allowed her instinct to take over. Snape was now clutching a large golden cobra, her head rocked from side to side as she hissed threateningly at him. He retreated in awe.

"Black I surrender."

The cobra continued to slither forward, its tongue flickering before him.

"Gienah" He said softly. The cobra stilled and in seconds there was a girl in its place.

"Nagual" Snape said, almost reverently.

"You know of creatures like me?" Gienah said hopefully. All aggression drained away, leaving an innocent childlike kind of curiosity instead.

"I know.. of them" Snape nodded, standing up. "Why are you in my classroom?"

"I was looking for a confiscated fanged frisbee." Gienah said with a shrug. "Put me in detention, it was stupid, reckless, la di la."

"Keep lying and it won't be detention you'll be looking forward to" Snape snarled but with less heat then she was accustomed too. He looked weary of her.

"You aren't _scared_ of me?" Gienah panicked.

Snape scoffed. Gienah sighed.

"Fine, I was hoping to see if you'd finished your tracking potions"

"How do you know-" Snape's eyes resembled slits. "Not the first time trespassing is it little Nagual."

"I was curious" she said defensively. "And you know if anyone has a right to track down that bastard, it's me. He robbed me of my father."

Snape folded his arms and sighed.

"I don't see how you manage to get me into these situations" Snape said honestly. "Why aren't you scared of me like the rest of them?"

"Because I know deep deep down, despite your bat demeanour, there's a harmless kitten with a big heart longing for a hug," Gienah offered him her arms with a sickly smile. Damn, she even managed to make her eyes water.

"You are your father all over" Snape said dangerously.

"Aw, and you are all bark no bite professor" Gienah retorted.

"Sit."

Gienah sat.

"I have come to a - snag in the plan." Snape hesitated. "Peter Pettigrew appears to be in Hogwarts. I've brewed the potion three times at different points of the day and he is in the perimeter."

Gienah stood up in horror.

"Polyjuice? Possession? Invisibility cloak." Gienah paced the room. "Animagus!"

"Of course" Snape said softly.

"Scabbers," Gienah said before she vomited violently in the dungeon floor.

Gienah flew into the boys dormitory as a fly, slipping through a small crack. Snape was waiting in the common room. She assured him she would manage just fine. It was her bounty after all. Transforming quietly she tiptoed towards Ron's bed. The cage was empty. She sighed. Why could things never be simple?

Gienah softly drew the curtains, heard a loud noise and turned sharply- it was from Dean Thomas's bed. Preparing to transform she stood still until the snoring restarted. Thank god for loud sleepers. Gienah returned to the task at hand. She could feel herself rise with anticipation as she drew back the covers. Ron was shirtless. Gienah looked at his pale hairless chest and his spindly long limbs and wondered what Diggory looked like shirtless. Shaking her head she lifted the pillow and saw Scabbers with his eyes wide open. Gienah couldn't help it. She screamed a blood-curling scream. Knowing what it was. Those beady eyes. Intelligent eyes, how she'd never noticed before. Ron immediately sat up and screamed at the sight of Gienah with her wand raised and screaming. The whole dormitory was awake but there was no sign of the rat. Gienah immediately placed the room on lockdown. The windows were barred, the door impenetrable, there was no way he could escape.

"What the actual FUCK?" Seamus stared at Gienah, her stance in duelling position, her eyes strangely eagle like- did Seamus imagine it or where her eyes amber?

"Everyone remain calm." Gienah said in a voice that sounded a lot stronger than she felt.

"Remain calm?" Ron squeaked. "You lunatic. You were standing over my bed with your wand pointing towards my heart Gen! Some sick prank you're playing coz I called you a nerd? Honestly, I'm sorry. Not necessarily a bad thing either - jus' sayin'. If you-" Ron rambled until Gienah zapped him with a silencing charm.

"Anyone else" she snarled, looking at Seamus, an open mouthed Dean Thomas, a shaken Neville and Harry, typical, had folded his arms in a stance that looked a lot like Sirius's. "All of you, there is a rat in this room."

Seamus rolled his eyes.

"Typical girl" He groaned. "We know there's a rat in this room Genna. His name is Scabbers-"

"No it isn't" Gienah said softly as she waved her wand in front of her.

She spun in a prowled position, her eyes now fully amber, whiskers threatened to sprout from her nose that was sniffing carefully.

"Everyone, keep a firm hold of your wand. As if your lives depended on it." Neville clamoured onto his bed to get his from under his pillow. She heard him squeak and her heart faltered for a second as there was a loud banging from the door.

"It's not there." Neville said with round eyes. Harry ran at him and helped him search his bed.

"Snape I've got this room on lockdown! He can't escape. Keep guard!" She yelled, her ears pressed against the door.

She heard him muttering and cursing something about a pesky meddling Nagual. She grinned despite fearing a little for her life.

"Everyone stand against the wall. He might attack any second now." Gienah looked around, and gestured for Harry and Ron to mark the windows. But she finally saw Ron was still held by the silencing charm, his face red from the effort of being heard, wielding his wand around to no effect. Gienah reluctantly lifted the charm.

"-that Black blood that's made you cuckoo! Why has everyone got it in for Scabbers!"

"Scabbers is no common garden rat Ron." Gienah said softly. "He's Peter Pettigrew."

"-THE HELL HE IS!" Ron roared.

"He's in this room this very moment looking for ways to escape, but I've put this room on lockdown. Nothing can enter, nothing can escape."

"Gen, I'm going to say for the sake of argument you're right. Let's find scabbers and you can force him to transform." Harry said calmly. "Everyone, listen to Gen."

"He was a wand Harry" Gienah said warningly.

"A rat could be anywhere." Ron sulked, glaring at Gienah.

"Keep your back to the wall and your wand raised!" Gienah shouted at Ron. Ron was slumped back on his bed with his arms crossed. Suddenly Ron yelped.

"Where's my wand?" He looked around him.

"TO THE FUCKING WALL" Gienah screeched. Ron didn't hesitate this time, he stood next to Seamus who was suddenly feeling the fear Gienah had felt from the start. Even Harry was now in a duelling stance.

"Accio wand." Gienah whispered.

One wand zoomed into her hand from under Ron's bed.

Ron's nails were digging into Seamus's arm.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Harry and Gienah said at once. They saw a flash of blue. A shield. Gienah levitated the bed as Harry sent a reducto.

"He's invisible" Gienah said calmly. "Place a shield around you."

"Animatus" Gienah hissed. All of the boys quidditch figurines and Dean Thomas's soldier collection turned to life.

"Opugno"

They charged randomly. She heard a scuffle and placed hex after hex in that direction. "Revelio" Neville gasped as they saw a rat scurrying dragging a wand by its teeth.

"Homorphus!" Gienah screamed.

It was like watching a speeded up film of a growing tree. A head was shooting upwards from the ground; limbs were sprouting; next moment, a man was standing where Scabbers had been cringing and wringing his hands.

Pettigrew dodged both of Gienah and Harry's disarming spells.

"Argh!" Ron yelped once again. He howled in pain. Pettigrew was holding Ron's wrist behind his back jabbing a wand to his throat.

"Drop your wands or your Ronnikins dies." Pettigrew rasped.

Everyone dropped their wands staring in a daze all thinking the same thing.

"I shared my bed with you." Ron said, a look of despair on his face, disgust, fear.

Peter Pettigrew was an extremely short man with grubby skin, small watery eyes and a pointed nose. He had thin mousy brown hair and a large bald patch off the centre of his head. AS she looked at him she could see Scabbers. A rat she had never cooed over or stroked. Why hadn't she realized sooner?

"You can't breach the wards Pettigrew." Gienah snarled.

"Hmm, we'll see about that." Pettigrew stunned Ron and threw him gracelessly on the floor and did the same with the other four. Harry spat at him when it was his turn.

"Traitor," Harry hissed.

"What me?" Pettigrew smiled sadly. "Fat, pathetic Peter?"

"You hit it on the nail with pathetic" Gienah laughed.

"You'd betray your friends too if they called you pathetic Gienah." Peter was waving his wand, testing the wards. "It was my life or theirs."

"It was your life or MINE" Harry yelled, struggling against the bonds.

"Yes, I suppose you're right" Peter ceded reasonably. "Still, you survived Harry."

"Why not come clean Pettigrew?" Gienah said softly. "Ask for your friends forgiveness. They may shorten your prison sentence. It's only fair seeing my father paid your price in years."

"Fair?" Peter was soft spoken, raspy and high pitched, but he never raised his voice. It gave her a false sense of safety. She had to remind herself this was a death eater.

"Black and Potter won the genetic lottery." Pettigrew laughed bitterly. He looked at Neville, unconscious on the floor. "I was the fat kid that got stuck in Gryffindor. The pity friend. Nothing fair about that."

"Don't act like you didn't have a life worth living because you were envious of the popular kids." Harry said angrily. "I was bullied growing up. I would have killed for the protection that came with loyal friends."

As Harry talked she heard Snape murmur through the crack beneath the door. " _Keep him talking_."

"Don't speak to me of tragedy Harry." Peter finally snapped.

"Why?" Gienah retorted. "We playing pity party? I'd rather play splat the rat."

"You really are Sirius's daughter" Peter chuckled as he began tracing the window with his wand.

"What gets me," Gienah ignored him "is how you were stupid enough to continue your facade under my very nose Peter. The cheek!"

Pettigrew ignored her.

"Do you feel no sense of responsibility? Loyalty? Duty? SHAME!" Gienah fell as she attempted to move forward.

"Loyalty" Peter murmured. "I did once. A long time ago."

"I don't believe it." Gienah said.

"I looked up to those three as if they were the brothers I never had. My parents were a piss poor excuse of family. I loved them!"

"THEY LOVED YOU!" Gienah shouted, tears falling from her eyes. "Before Sirius was found to be innocent Remus would tell me stories of the marauders. The lost boys causing mischief, wreaking havoc in Hogwarts. Too clever, too arrogant, each with a point to prove. I called you Uncle Peter and Harry's father Uncle James growing up. My heroes up in heaven. He told me stories of how you would bring him chocolate to the hospital wing the next day when Remus and Sirius were catching up on sleep. You were always the one that brought him gifts that meant something rather than something flashy or to get a cheap laugh. You comforted him when his dad turned him into social pariah. And when Sirius finally got to tell him the truth. You know what he said? NOT PETER. He couldn't believe it. REMUS CRIED MOURNING YOUR FRIENDSHIP. And don't you FUCKING DARE give me any of that pity bullshit coz dad, dad is SHUNNED, the law explicitly MAKES HIS LIFE HELL. He looked after me in secret, worked in a muggle bookstore, his magic feeling like it was wasting away. Do you know what that does to a wizard? AND NOT ONCE DID HE BETRAY HIS FRIENDS."

Gienah was panting with exertion, her voice cracking under the strain as Pettigrew whimpered, covering his ears.

"Lily suspected it was Remus. You encouraged it you filthy good-for-nothing little rat. His heart broke and once again he gets a kick to his self-worth. Of course they would suspect the dark creature in their midst. Never mind he was out there, risking his hide among death eater sympathetic blood thirsty werewolves! Never mind not once had he shown reason for them to mistrust him. So save it. Save the pity, the tragedy because this room holds enough bad memories from a war you ACTIVELY SUPPORTED. Neville's parents were both driven to lunacy. Ron's uncles murdered. Harry grew up an orphan. I grew up believing my parents abandoned me. You stole TEN YEARS OF MY FATHER'S LIFE, OF OUR LIFE!"

Gienah was crying hysterically. Harry felt an overwhelming sense of loss and rocked as he cried in the open for the first time. Seamus and Dean were welling up and Pettigrew had his head in his hands.

"You don't understand" Pettigrew wept. "I never belonged. And the dark lord was going to win. He promised such powers… If you refused you were dead."

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" Harry roared. "DIED LIKE MY PARENTS DIED FOR ME. DIED LIKE REMUS WOULD HAVE DIED FOR YOU, LIKE SIRIUS."

"In a heartbeat" Gienah croaked. "You know that, in your heart, if you came to them and told them he was threatening you, they'd have gone lengths to protect you. Sirius would have gone to the moon and back for his friends. If you thought your parents were piss poor what would you say about Sirius's. Did he never tell you his mother cruciod him at the age of eleven? You were all his life."

"It's in the past, the past" Pettigrew whimpered waving his wand frantically.

"Ask for forgiveness Peter." Harry said bitterly. "And hope for the best. Go to Azkaban and serve your sentence. Purge your guilt - if you can."

Gienah gasped in pain as she was blast across the room as the door was burst open. Her head cracked against the wall and a trickle of blood seeped from her hair. Harry tried to reach her but the binds were too tight. He began to roll while Pettigrew was focused on his old school rival.

"Snape!" Pettigrew's eyes darted from the window to the door.

"Pettigrew." Snape snarled, holding out his wand.

There was a flash of light and Snape was knocked across the room, out of the doorway and tumbling down the stairs.

Harry grabbed a fallen wand by his teeth. Pettigrew turned and kicked Harry in the mouth. Harry gasped as he began spitting blood. Gienah narrowed her eyes.

"My father plans to murder you." Gienah taunted, her tears drying against her cheek. "Sirius Black is not a man you cross, nor am I as it happens".

"What do you mean-" Peter paused and really looked at her. A flash of fear across his eyes for the first time in those dead eyes so like his rat form.

Gienah smiled before she striked. Peter fell to the side as a cobra head snapped at his head. Neville fainted.

"REDUCTO" Pettigrew pointed all six wands at the window and ran out into the cool air. Seamus hopped towards the window to watch the fall but turned, ashen faced and said "He's gone".

Gienah closed her eyes and poked her head out of the window. Grabbing the stray wand she cast the strongest summoning charm she could but no wand returned. Taking the stray that was Harry's she released the bonds and told Seamus to run to a member of staff.

"Dean, take Snape to the hospital wing. Wingardium Leviosa."

Gienah then jumped out the window, Harry spluttering after her. In less then seconds she was fluttering outside Dumbledore's window. Fawkes cawed at her and eventually the headmaster came running, letting the sparrow into the office. Gienah transformed before him to Dumbledore's surprise.

"Peter Pettigrew was Ron's rat Scabbers. Tried to capture him but he's on the run. Jumped out of Gryffindor tower. Five minutes ago." Gienah panted.

Dumbledore grabbed Fawkes' tail and with an explosion and a bang, he was gone, a feather floating where he had just been. Gienah closed her eyes and climbed out of the window, then transformed into an eagle, the smell of Pettigrew fresh in the cobra's mind. She suspected he'd use the Whomping Willow, and swooped down before the tree could react. The smell was fresh. Gienah transformed and looked for the button Remus had talked about so often. Damn!

The sentient mother of a **** was roused from sleep. A thick trunk was heading her way. She squeaked just as she found an oddly shaped root and pressed down. The tree froze. Gienah could do a little dance. Immediately she flew after the fresh scent. Her head told her the hunt was futile. He was armed. He would apparate as soon as he reached Hogsmeade. Her heart willed hope. Finally she emerged in the haunted shack. Nothing. Cawing she flew up the chimney, coughing violently and black with soot and cobwebs she hunted his scent once more. Sweaty, vermin like and a trace of Ron Weasley, she held back a snigger as she sniffed the grounds outside the shack.

"He's gone" Dumbledore was in his paisley's dressing gown looking ridiculous in the backdrop of the grey sleeping town. Fawkes was perched on his shoulder. Gienah closed her eyes and stamped her foot as she returned to her natural form.

"I should have left Snape to it." Gienah said weakly. She felt pathetic, and incompetent.

"Once Professor Snape knew he would have entered the dormitory himself and be cursed if he was seen." Dumbledore said.

"He wouldn't be stupid enough to be seen!" Gienah said, furious at herself.

"Gienah, this is futile." Dumbledore said softly. "Fawkes".

She felt his hand on her shoulder, and with a flash they appeared in Dumbledore's office once more.

"We really shouldn't make a habit of this." Dumbledore laughed weakly.

"The aurors have been notified." He said after a pregnant pause.

"The dark lord grows stronger." Gienah murmured. "And one more servant runs free."

"A girl of your age should never shoulder that burden." Dumbledore said grimly, sitting back in his chair.

"I have no choice. My father's fought and lost in the last war. My brother is believed responsible for ending the dark lord that now returns, thirsty for his blood. I can hardly stand back and watch headmaster."

"Nor will you fight alone." Dumbledore said, his eyes sparkling with pride. "To bed young Gienah. Let us hope it will be many a year before he returns, if ever."

"Let us hope, while preparing for the worst." Gienah said fiercely. "Mouldy warts won't know what hit him."

Dumbledore laughed heartily and his body shook with it. Gienah giggled at the sight of her composed headmaster crying with mirth.

"Ah Gienah, it has been a long time before I laughed like that." He wiped a small tear from his eye. "To bed, and we will speak of your… gifts another day. Enough adventure for one night."

Gienah did _not_ return to bed. She smiled as she sensed a deja vu. She was her own master. She hurried to the hospital wing and didn't even bother knocking. Softly she opened the door and saw Madam Pomfrey fuss over Snape who was waving his hand as if attempting to swat a pest. Gienah giggled as she huffed and slammed the door behind her. It was dark, a few candles dimly lit as she hurried to his bed.

"You!" Snape snarled, he was in a bad way. Bandaged around his head and his arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Gienah placed her hands above her head in admission. "You should have taken care of it. But you can trace him! You can trace Pettigrew using your potion."

"I had no idea Black, thank you for your creative and original insight" Snape said snarkily. "Get out."

"What are you going to do?"

"I have learnt a rather painful lesson Ms. Black" Snape said tersely attempting to rise from his bed. "The last two times I have freely accompanied you in one of your hair-brained plots I have winded up in the hospital wing! So do excuse me when I say I will never agree to one of your cock eyed plans ever again."

"Aw, you're only saying that coz it went a little awry-"

"A LITTLE?"

"No one died."

"I ought to write to your father you pesky, meddling, arrogant-"

"Don't forget insufferable" Gienah added cheekily.

"Why you-" Snape grunted as he lifted himself off and Gienah skipped out of the hospital wing.

Perhaps it was a good thing he escaped. They could track his movements and catch him when he was incriminating another death eater. Perhaps Mouldy Warts himself.

 ****

 **A.N. I thoroughly enjoyed writing that. Hope you enjoyed reading it. R &R 3**


	20. Autumn

Chapter Twenty-Four: **Autumn**

"How did no one hear all the screaming?" Ron said the next day as he noticed everyone going about their usual business. They were sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table whispering though there were a few people around this early on a Saturday morning.

"I cast a silencing charm around the dormitory." Gienah said simply.

"And how did you know Snape was tracking Scabber- I mean Pettigrew." Shaking his head.

"I fancied a late night walk a few weeks ago" Gienah said in much the same matter of fact tone. "Eavesdropped into a conversation with Malfoy and Snape."

"And the animagus crap you pulled?" Harry said in awe.

"I had done it a few times before-" Gienah said brashly.

"Na-ah Gen, you tell your brother right this instant." Harry glared at her.

"It's not the way I wanted you to find out."

Three pairs of eyes now narrowed her eyes at her.

"I'm a Nagual." Gienah whispered.

"A WHAT!?" Hermione screeched. The few heads round the hall jumped.

"Sorry, sorry", she apologized not looking sorry at all before turning her head so fast she was sure she had whiplash.

"I thought they died out" Hermione hissed.

"Tada!" Gienah flourished her arms sarcastically.

"Wait" Ron put his hand in front of them.

"What?" Ron raised an eyebrow and stared blankly at her.

"I'm not fully human" Gienah sighed. "It's a hereditary thing that runs in the female line. We can transform at will to any creature. There is little but legend to the literature we have on it so I can't tell you what else it means. There's some rubbish about me being a seductress and power hungry harlot somewhere."

Harry and Ron spluttered.

"But that's extraordinary Gienah!" Hermione waved her wand as if to say, the patriarchy. "Transform at will. To ANY creature?"

"Ones I'm familiar with. I transformed into a centaur which makes me think I might be able to do giants, trolls, vampires, goblins, providing I am familiar to the form."

"Wicked", Ron looked at her as if she was the latest broomstick on display. As a matter of fact they all did.

Gienah sighed.

"It's no biggie" She said, taking a forkful of scrambled egg. "I'm still me."

"Gienah" Harry said weakly. "If you train hard enough, you'd become the most formidable sorceress of our age."

"I just have a slight advantage Harry" she waved her hand dismissively. "Dumbledore can do the same thing with a wand. Or any master in transfiguration."

"Exactly" Hermione squeaked.

"We're running late guys." Gienah shook her head, downing the rest of her coffee and hurrying to the first floor for their muggle studies.

"Late night?" Mike asked as he saw three students with dark circles before him.

"You could say that." Harry frowned.

"Gienah's a Nagual" Ron said proudly.

"Ron!" Gienah shouted.

"A what?" Mike asked.

"Ron, that is not information you go throwing about. I'm sorry Mike but I really don't want to talk about it, to anyone. They found out by accident." Gienah said apologetically before glaring at Ron.

"Understandable Gienah. I respect your wishes." Mike smiled at her. "Now, your seven times table."

Ron had never learnt his time tables and the other three were rusty at quick mental maths, so they began each lesson with a quick quiz. They played a game called shoot the sheriff where you point a gun and shoot a multiplication question and the victim has to answer correctly to remain standing. The last one standing wins. Surprisingly it was Harry who excelled in quick maths problems, but Mike assured them they were all sufficiently skilled. They moved onto algebra next using the blackboard to illustrate how we reached our answer after completing them individually.

The last two hours they spent discussing Lord of the Flies. Mike instructed his students to pick out lines and scenes they liked for whatever reason and capture the scene with an image. Mike had brought with him a huge box of arts and crafts. Then they had to select their favourite scene and re-enact it in pairs to the other pair, and Mike.

" _What I mean is… what if it's only us?_ " Ron uttered Simon's line with such quiet understanding and maturity Hermione's eyes glazed over.

Mike applauded their efforts loudly at the end of the class.

"Marvellous. Your next week's assignment is to write a play inspired by Lord of the Flies. Collaboratively. I also have asked Professor Burbage permission to allow you to a day trip with me to London next Sunday instead of your usual lesson. We will be visiting the British museum."

All four left the classroom with a spring in their step.

"Alright I'm going to say it." Ron said as they walked down the stairs, and jumped to miss the trick step. "Mike has to be the best teacher in the country."

"Nah" Harry said. "Best teacher _ever_ ".

And they both looked completely serious. Gienah and Hermione looked at each other with knowing looks.

 _Dear Remus, Sirius,_

 _Please don't panic, everyone is safe now. Peter Pettigrew has been disguising himself as Scabbers. Ron's pet rat. Snape developed a tracking potion and found he was in Hogwarts. I put two and two together and thought I could capture him but we had a stand-off for about half an hour in the boys dormitory. Minor injuries. Eventually he escaped. Tracked him out into Hogsmeade where he apparated._

 _I know you have a dozen questions but trust me that it wasn't much of a stand-off, more of a skirmish. Will save you all the gory details for Christmas._

 _Love,_

 _Gienah_

On Halloween morning, they went to breakfast as usual, then to the first-floor classroom. Following one hour of algebra, Mike sat back to listen to their play. Ron had taken the lead with the play, showing a real flair for dialogue. All three friends were quietly impressed.

"Bravo" Mike applauded loudly. "Bravo I say!"

"You like it?" Ron said surprised.

"I love it. Wonderful magical take on the story. True to the story's integrity while integrating your own personal experiences."

They all beamed at eachother.

"Seeing as it's Halloween I thought we'd move on to Turn of the Screw for today and watch a film adaptation. I trust you have all read the novella?"

They nodded.

"Excellent. Now, remember the way in which you read the story- in fact- I will give you ten minutes to write down your interpretation of the story. Did anyone die? Is the governess really seeing a ghost or is it in her mind? Are the children evil? Are they possessed? What you TRULY imagined in your minds."

Following the brief exercise Mike set up a strange looking device that Hermione had never seen before.

"Now this, is a wizarding player that replicates the effect of electricity to produce the images on screen." Mike explained. "An obscure product today, but I believe the wizarding world will soon catch up."

They all smiled fondly at him, hearing the familiar optimism from the squib that all wizards weren't traditional in-bred supremacists. The lights were dimmed and they became lost to the movie magic.

"Your assignment for next week, write a review of the film adaptation. I will leave the player with Burbage if you wish to have a recap."

Gienah rushed out of the class, the three of them looking blankly at each other before following her back to the tower. Hermione ran to their dormitory to see Gienah flinging clothes onto her bed from her wardrobe.

"I have ten minutes!" Gienah panicked.

"You look fine" said Hermione, wondering if she should take her for a calming draught. This was highly unlikely behaviour from Gienah.

Hermione ended up helping her choose an ensemble. Gienah wore high waisted faded denim jeans with a black cropped jumper with the words EAT ME printed across the front. Gienah loved the Alice in Wonderland reference. She kept her hair in the no fuss plait and wore her fancy cloak and gloves Andie had brought her for her birthday. Gienah was five minutes late but Diggory was waiting for her patiently by the courtyard.

"Cedric, meet my friend Hermione." Gienah said nervously.

"The pleasure is all mine" Cedric kissed her hand and Hermione gave a very un-hermioneish giggle.

"I'll leave you two to it." Hermione said and ran away to Ron and Harry who were scowling at him. Gienah thought she heard Ron say bloody prince charming.

"Don't tempt me." Cedric said when she turned back to him.

Gienah raised her eyebrow. He pointed to her jumper.

"Don't tempt me because you really do look good enough to devour." Cedric said in her ear.

Gienah didn't know why that sounded so naughty and why it did funny things to her body but she responded instinctively and whispered back in his ear, "Indulge me."

Cedric slid his arm around her waist and held one hand intertwined in his and gently pressed her against the door, leaning in so she smelt his warm minty breath, her eyes fluttered-

"Oy!"

"Ron!" Hermione dragged Ron into a carriage, and mouthed sorry to Gienah.

Cedric settled for an eskimo kiss. Cedric led her into a carriage. She sighed as she looked out into the frosted grounds. It took her a few moments to notice the way in which he was looking at her. His eyes guarded and his normal smile absent from his face.

"Cedric?" Gienah asked him, placing a gloved hand on his knee.

"Weasley fancies you." Cedric finally said.

Gienah burst out laughing.

"Ron's was being a git." Gienah explained.

"A git that fancies you." He said firmly.

"Harry was scowling at you too, I doubt my brother fancies me."

Cedric tilted his head before replying "I wouldn't blame him."

"Eww gross!" Gienah said, scrunching up her nose.

Cedric laughed and reluctantly pulled her into his lap, Gienah squirmed feeling a little uncomfortable at their intimate position.

"I really wouldn't do that" Cedric said with some difficulty. Gienah stopped and sighed, leaning back into his embrace. "You smell divine. Has anyone told you that?"

"Cedric" Gienah laughed. "Stop with the adoration. Harry'll tell you. My heads big enough as it is."

"Oh I know you're plenty cocky about your intelligence but I don't think you're convinced of your allure."

"Cedric! No one uses the word allure." Gienah laughed.

Cedric pouted.

"It's the only word that fits."

"Right you love-sick puppy. Show me around this town the Weasley's have hyped about since first year." Gienah stepped out of the carriage, feeling at easy with the handsome boy. He was pretty, this could not be denied, and a little bit soppy, that was an understatement, but he was a little witty and funny too. Though no doubt Ron would say at his expense.

Cedric took her to Honeydukes, Dervish and Banges, Zonko's Joke Shop, the Post Office, Tomes and Scrolls, then into the Three Broomsticks for foaming mugs of hot butterbeer. Cedric insisted on paying for everything which irritated her a little seeing as it made her self-conscious to buy too many things or anything considered trivial. There were drawbacks to dating the knight in shining armour it seems but she let it pass. The quaint little town was too charming to be spoiled by an assertive date. Hermione would probably find a way to explain his behaviour as marking and ownership with a rich psychological history on the effects of territorial behaviour. Ron would probably make a crude joke about being peed on and Harry-

Gienah shook her head. She was here with Cedric. Blimey, she spent too much time with those guys.

The inn was warm, crowded, and a bit smoky, but clean and welcoming. A mirror behind the bar reflected the cosy atmosphere. They sold a selection of drinks. She eyed the firewhiskey but Cedric laughed and said in a few years, love. He brought the drinks. Of course. Guided her to a booth in the back.

"How am I doing so far?" Cedric asked her with a wink.

"Arrogant, over-confident, much too pretty and territorial. Tip for next time? Let the girl buy it if she insists the third time." Gienah listed off with her fingers.

"Meow" Cedric said. "Never has a girl been that honest with me- ever."

"Aw, you say that like there's been more than one."

Cedric blushed.

"I know you're a manwhore, relax." Gienah grinned.

"I don't want you to see me like that." Cedric said quietly.

"Not _just_ like that" teased Gienah.

Cedric laughed.

"So there's going to be a next time?" Cedric said hopefully.

"The fact that out of all of that, you pick on-" Gienah shook her head. "Depends."

"On?" Cedric leaned in so he was a few inches away from her.

"What lengths you're willing to go to" Gienah forced her blush down.

"Just say the word."

"Lose the match" Gienah smiled.

"Never!" Cedric leaned back and put an outraged expression on his face. "My heart doth speaketh Quidditch and Quidditch alone."

Gienah laughed.

"I love your smile." Cedric pecked her lips quickly before withdrawing.

Gienah blushed.

"I'm being overbearing?" Cedric bit his lip. "I'm being overbearing. Right, toning it down. Let's start again"

Cedric shook his head and closed his eyes before opening them, his body language composed as he sipped his butterbeer.

"Come here often?" Cedric said in a oh-so-casual tone.

"First time pretty boy." Gienah folded her arms and bit her lip suggestively.

Amazingly he didn't squirm. Instead he finished his drink, offered her his hand and led her through the corridor, past the toilets and out the back door. It was a small garden with an old bench and an ash tray. Cedric pushed her up against the brick wall and wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her up ever so slightly, brushing his lips lightly across hers. All the while he crushed his body against his, but teased her mouth, brushing and gnawing as she leaned more and more forward, her mouth inviting her to him. As their tongues touched he fell back and without touching any other part of her kissed the column of her neck. She craved contact but he refused, pinning her arms above her head. Gienah purred with pleasure, gasping, suddenly understanding her father's obsession for sex. If kissing felt this good…

"Still think I'm a pretty-boy?" Cedric said, his grey eyes boring into hers.

Gienah nodded, laughed, throwing her head back against the wall. Cedric chuckled and took her back to Hogwarts. Cedric walked her to the tower. Gienah rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to see you at the feast in an hour or two."

"You aren't going to let me kiss you at the feast," Cedric pointed out as if it was obvious why he would escort her to her tower. In exchange for a kiss. She slapped her head with a doh before shaking her head.

"Kiss me wench."

Gienah giggled as she pecked his lips, his cheeks repeatedly, refusing him to deepen her playful kisses.

"No frolicking in the corridor" came the head boy's voice from out of the portrait hole. "Oh, Gienah. Diggory. I didn't know you two were - anyway. Sorry, it's the rules."

"What do the rules say about out of use classrooms?" Gienah asked innocently.

Percy went bright red, clashing horribly with his hair.

"Yes well", he suddenly became interested in wiping his glasses. "If you'll excuse me…"

"Nicely done." Cedric folded his arms and watched Weasley walk stiffly back into the common room. Biting his lips, he looked unabashedly down at hers. She covered his mouth with her hand and shook her head and hurried through the portrait hole before it could close.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were waiting for her in the common room, munching on sweets and rummaging through their purchases.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Hermione squealed.

"Isn't that obvious?" Ron sneered. "I don't blame her of being embarrassed by him."

"As Cedric rightly pointed out the only reason a boy can be legitimately disapproving of a girls date is if he is the person in question's father or brother. All other males can only be explained as harboring feelings for the person in question. Feelings of an un-platonic nature." Gienah said quickly as Hermione giggled.

It took a few moments before he yelled "I don't fancy you!"

A few people looked around, sniggering in amusement.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. I'm dating Diggory."

"Hermione isn't dating anyone!"

"What on earth has that got to do with anything?" Gienah looked incredulously at him. "You date her then".

"Well- yes well - quite beside the point-" Ron looked at his empty wrist and said "We're late for the feast-"

Gienah rolled her eyes.

Hermione quizzed her all the way down to the hall, Ron and Harry listening closely for details they'd never dream of actually asking. The Great Hall had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant water food was delicious; although full to bursting with Honeydukes sweets, they all managed second helpings of everything. The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading.

After the feast she patted her bloated stomach and decided to have an early night. A first for a few weeks now. As her head hit the pillow she allowed unconsciousness to take her to strange and wonderful places.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _You should have let Snivellus deal with it._

 _I'm glad you're ok._

 _I'm calm._

 _Counting to ten._

 _I know I have no right whatsoever to condemn your behaviour because I would have done exactly the same thing but frankly, I'm allowed to be a hypocrite, you'll understand when you have children. If you exhibit this kind of reckless behaviour EVER again I WILL confiscate your firebolt._

The weather worsened steadily as the first Quidditch match drew nearer. Undaunted, the Gryffindor team was training harder than ever under the eye of Madam Hooch. Then, at their final training session before Saturday's match, Oliver Wood gave his team some unwelcome news.

"We're not playing Slytherin!" he told them, looking very angry. "Flint's just been to see me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead."

"Why?" chorused the rest of the team.

"Flint's excuse is that their Seeker's arm's still injured," said Wood, grinding his teeth furiously. "But it's obvious why they're doing it. Don't want to play in this weather. Think it'll damage their chances..."

There had been strong winds and heavy rain all day, and as Wood spoke, they heard a distant rumble of thunder.

"There's nothing wrong with Malfoy's arm!" said Gienah furiously. "The prats faking it!"

"I know that, but we can't prove it," said Wood bitterly, "And we've been practicing all those moves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's Hufflepuff, and their style's quite different. They've got a new Captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory -"

Angelina, Alicia, and Katie suddenly giggled, looking at Gienah with a knowing look.

"What?" said Wood, frowning at this lighthearted behavior.

"He's that tall, good-looking one, isn't he?" said Angelina, winking at Gienah.

"Strong and silent," said Katie, and they started to giggle again. Gienah frowned. Silent?

"He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together," said Fred impatiently. "I don't know why you're worried, Oliver, Hufflepuff is a pushover. Last time we played them, Gienah caught the Snitch in about five minutes, remember?"

"We were playing in completely different conditions!" Wood shouted, his eyes bulging slightly. "Diggory's put a very strong side together! He's an excellent Seeker! I was afraid you'd take it like this! We mustn't relax! We must keep our focus! Slytherin is trying to wrong-foot us! We must win!"

"Oliver, calm down!" said Fred, looking slightly alarmed. "We're taking Hufflepuff very seriously. Seriously."

The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit. The Slytherin team was looking very smug indeed, and none more so than Malfoy.

"Ah, if only my arm was feeling a bit better!" he sighed as the gale outside pounded the windows.

Gienah poked Ron and nodded her head towards Malfoy. Watch this, she mouthed.

Gienah whispered a spell under her breath that hit Malfoy right on the bandaged arm. It was a jinx she had learnt from Sirius. The spell was insular, wrapped around the targeted limb, infesting the muscle to irritate the arm with a nasty throbbing. There was no counter-charm as far as she knew and the pain would be easily explained by his false injury.

"MOTHER -" Malfoy howled in pain.

"Huh- I almost believed that one." Hermione shook her head in disgust as she returned to her cauldron. Gienah and Ron cried out laughing when none of the Slytherin's reacted. Unable to leave him quite alone she sent an invisible mild stinging hex to his leg that was less intense but lasted longer.

"Oow!" Malfoy yelped.

"Malfoy, perhaps you require an escort to the hospital wing?" Snape asked him politely.

Gienah woke extremely early the next morning; so early that it was still dark. For a moment she thought the roaring of the wind had woken her. Then she felt a cold breeze on the back of her neck and sat bolt upright - Peeves the Poltergeist had been floating next to him, blowing hard in his ear.

"What did you do that for?" said Gienah furiously.

"Pervert"

Peeves puffed out his cheeks, blew hard, and zoomed backward out of the room, cackling.

Gienah fumbled for her alarm clock and looked at it. It was half past four. Cursing Peeves, she rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, but it was very difficult, now that she was awake, to ignore the sounds of the thunder rumbling overhead, the pounding of the wind against the castle walls, and the distant creaking of the trees in the Forbidden Forest. In a few hours she would be out on the Quidditch field, battling through that gale. Finally, she gave up any thought of more sleep, got up, dressed, picked up her Firebolt, and walked quietly out of the dormitory.

The noise of the storm was even louder in the common room. Gienah knew better than to think the match would be canceled; Quidditch matches weren't called off for trifles like thunderstorms. Nevertheless, she was starting to feel very apprehensive. Diggory was a lot bigger than Gienah. Seekers were usually light and speedy, but Diggory's weight would be an advantage in this weather because she was less likely to be blown off course.

Gienah whiled away the hours until dawn in front of the fire, a textbook in hand but she wasn't really reading. Her eyes strayed to the madness outside. At nine she decided to have breakfast, just for the sake of doing something.

"Stand and fight, you mangy cur!" yelled Sir Cadogan, the mad knight ran after her, jumping portrait to portrait.

"Oh, shut up," Gienah yawned.

She revived a bit over a large bowl of porridge, and by the time she'd started on toast, the rest of the team had turned up.

"It's going to be a tough one," said Wood, who wasn't eating anything.

"Stop worrying, Oliver," said Alicia soothingly, "we don't mind a bit of rain."

But it was considerably more than a bit of rain. Such was the popularity of Quidditch that the whole school turned out to watch the match as usual, but they ran down the lawns toward the Quidditch field, heads bowed against the ferocious wind, umbrellas being whipped out of their hands as they went. just before she entered the locker room, Gienah saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, laughing and pointing at her from under an enormous umbrella on their way to the stadium.

The team changed into their scarlet robes and waited for Wood's usual pre-match pep talk, but it didn't come. He tried to speak several times, made an odd gulping noise, then shook his head hopelessly and beckoned them to follow him.

The wind was so strong that they staggered sideways as they walked out onto the field. If the crowd was cheering, they couldn't hear it over the fresh rolls of thunder. Rain was splattering over her goggles. How on earth was she going to see the Snitch in this?

The Hufflepuffs were approaching from the opposite side of the field, wearing canary-yellow robes. The Captains walked up to each other and shook hands; Diggory smiled at Wood but Wood now looked as though he had lockjaw and merely nodded. Gienah saw Madam Hooch's mouth form the words, "Mount Your brooms." She pulled her right foot out of the mud with a squelch and swung it over her Firebolt. Madam Hooch put her whistle to her lips and gave it a blast that sounded shrill and distant - they were off.

Gienah rose fast, but her Firebolt was swerving slightly with the wind. She held it as steady as she could and turned, squinting into the rain.

Within five minutes Gienah was soaked to her skin and frozen, hardly able to see her teammates, let alone the tiny Snitch. She flew backward and forward across the field past blurred red and yellow shapes, with no idea of what was happening in the rest of the game. She couldn't hear the commentary over the wind. The crowd was hidden beneath a sea of cloaks and battered umbrellas. Twice Gienah came very close to being unseated by a Bludger.

She lost track of time. It was getting harder and harder to hold her broom straight. The sky was getting darker, as though night had decided to come early. Twice Gienah nearly hit another player, without knowing whether it was a teammate or opponent; everyone was now so wet, and the rain so thick, she could hardly tell them apart...

With the first flash of lightning came the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle; Gienah could just see the outline of Wood through the thick rain, gesturing her to the ground. The whole team splashed down into the mud.

"I called for time-out!" Wood roared at his team. "Come on, under here -"

They huddled at the edge of the field under a large umbrella.

"What's the score?"

"We're fifty points up," said Wood, "but unless we get the Snitch soon, we'll be playing into the night."

Everyone looked at her with hope, she nodded fiercely.

"Gryffindor!" Gienah roared and they all roared in return.

Gienah urged her broom through the turbulent air, staring in every direction for the Snitch, avoiding a Bludger, ducking beneath Diggory, who was streaking in the opposite direction...

There was another clap of thunder, followed immediately by forked lightning. This was getting more and more dangerous. Gienah needed to get the Snitch quickly -

"Gen!" came Wood's anguished yell from the Gryffindor goal posts. "Gen, behind you!"

Gienah looked wildly around. Cedric Diggory was pelting up the field, and a tiny speck of gold was shimmering in the rain-filled air between them...

With a jolt of panic, Gienah threw herself flat to the broom handle and zoomed toward the Snitch.

"Come on!" she growled at her Firebolt as the rain whipped her face. "Faster!"

Gienah was neck in neck with Cedric. Gienah turned to see him wink at her and then, nothing.

"Lucky Dumbledore was there".

She could hear the voices whispering, but they made no sense whatsoever. She didn't have a clue where she was, or how she'd got there, or what she'd been doing before she got there. All she knew was that every inch of her was aching as though it had been beaten.

"I thought she was dead for sure."

Gienah's eyes snapped open. She was lying in the hospital wing. The Gryffindor Quidditch team, spattered with mud from head to foot, was gathered around her bed. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were also there, looking as though they'd just climbed out of a swimming pool.

"Genna!" said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath, the mud. "How're you feeling?"

It was as though Gienah's memory was on fast forward. The lightning...Cedric...the Snitch...and the Dementors...

"What happened?" she said, sitting up so suddenly they all gasped.

"You fell off," said Fred. "Must've been - what - fifty feet?"

"We thought you'd died," said Alicia, who was shaking.

Hermione made a small, squeaky noise. Her eyes were extremely bloodshot.

"But the match," said Gienah. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?"

No one said anything. The horrible truth sank into Gienah like a stone.

"We didn't - lose?"

"Diggory got the Snitch," said George. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square...even Wood admits it."

"Where is he?" said Gienah, suddenly realizing he wasn't there.

"Still in the showers," said Fred. "We think he's trying to drown himself."

Gienah put her face to her knees, her hands gripping her hair. Fred grabbed her shoulder and shook it roughly.

"C'mon, Gen, you're too hard on yourself."

"We've still got a chance," said George.

"It's not over yet," said Fred. "We lost by a hundred points."

"Right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin..."

"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points," said George.

"But if they beat Ravenclaw..."

"No way, Ravenclaw is too good. But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff..."

"It all depends on the points - a margin of a hundred either way -"

Gienah lay there, not saying a word.

After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave her in peace.

"We'll come and see you later," Fred told her. "Don't beat yourself up. Gen, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had."

The team trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione moved nearer to her bed.

Ginny ran up and hugged her.

Gienah smiled, feeling a rush of affection for her young friend.

"When Sirius hears about this-" Harry said weakly.

"Struck by lightning" Ron whistled. "Is it me, or have you already filled our yearly quote of life threatening experiences."

"Someone's waiting for you outside" Hermione said as she looked over Ron's shoulder. They all turned and saw Cedric loitering by the door. He flushed when he saw they had seen him and walked towards them.

"We'll see you tomorrow" Ginny said, kissing her cheek and dragging Ron with her who was scowling once more. Hermione took Harry's hand and soon it was just Cedric and Gienah.

"I tried to call for a rematch when I-" Cedric started but Gienah pulled him closer and kissed him on the mouth.

Cedric smiled weakly at her and started again.

"I'd rather just forget I lost the game" Gienah said raising a hand to his face.

He nodded and sat down on a chair beside her and talked about potions and broomsticks and family and muggles and dragons.

 _Gienah,_

 _I'm starting to dread seeing Hermes you know that? I know you couldn't do anything about being struck by lightning but why do I feel if someone was going to be struck by lighting it would be you. What have I done to piss the gods off? Don't answer that._

 _Don't beat yourself up. It was the second match you lost in two years. I remember when we lost our first match. We were unbearable. Don't be the sore loser. Train your socks off so when you play your next match, it won't matter you lost the cup, you won a game no one will stop talking about for weeks. I have faith in you._

 _Also. I feel compelled to mouthpiece Remus right now. Quidditch is not the be all and end all of things. As much as it physically hurts me to write that. It's true. Stay focused on your studies, but you're playing a good game if you're planning to fail because at this rate if you get home in one piece I'll be proud you survived. Now, what other parent gets to say that? I'm going to go and drink a bottle of firewhiskey now and forget this is your sixth near death experience._

 _I found a grey hair today. I hope you know I'm holding you responsible. I called him Bane - as in the bane of my life._

 _Love,_

 _Sirius_

Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Gienah in the hospital wing for the rest of the weekend. She had a stream of visitors, all intent on cheering him up. Hagrid sent him a bunch of earwiggy flowers that looked like yellow cabbages, and Cedric brought her a massive hamper of Honeydukes chocolate. The Gryffindor team visited again on Sunday morning, this time accompanied by Wood, who told Gienah (in a hollow, dead sort of voice) that he didn't blame her in the slightest. Harry, Ron and Hermione left Gienah's bedside only at night. Ginny and Luna spent the afternoon sitting on the end of the bed, reading.

Monday morning, her bandages were removed. There was a ripple type of scar on the shoulder where the lightning had hit her but other than that she was as right as rain. Gienah was stiffly making her way down to the Great Hall when she was ambushed by Hermione.

"GIENAH!"

"Merlin Mione" Gienah muttered, her eyes were half closed still in the process of waking up.

"Bellatrix Lestrange, she escaped Azkaban" Hermione shoved the mornings paper in her face. "Last night. They suspect Pettigrew was involved."

"Shit" Gienah took the paper and looked at her dad's crazed cousin with the trademark Black hair. She was laughing maniacally in the photograph, behind bars, her tongue wagging. "Does Harry know?"

"No, but the whole school will know in a matter of hours. As you-know-who's right hand woman Fudge is convinced she's after Harry." Hermione was now whispering as they entered the hall. There were a few students at the Ravenclaw table and half the staff had their head in the newspaper with their coffees in hand.

"Where does it say that?" Gienah scanned the article then thumbed through the rest of the paper.

"It doesn't." Hermione said, fidgeting on her seat.

"Hermione?" Gienah asked suspiciously.

"I went for a 3AM hot cocoa call" Hermione muttered.

"But the poor house-elves!" Gienah mimicked Hermione's concerned tenor.

"I was going to make it myself but - did you know the reason it tastes so good is that they make the hot chocolate from scratch?" Hermione burst out.

"The point Hermione" Gienah sighed.

"Right. I took Harry's cloak and on my way back I saw the minister" Hermione whispered. "He was ordering Filch to inform Dumbledore of his arrival. He had two officials with him. One fierce looking man I think an auror and a squatty looking woman. I followed them to his office and heard that they would have to implement measures right away. They're placing dementors here in Hogwarts!"

"But what would Lestrange gain from killing Harry when her dark lord is in some weak form, barely living? If she really is as loyal as she was twelve years ago she'd be out there looking for him, not Harry."

"That's what dumbledore said but-"

"Ooh don't tell me you went into the office?" Gienah interrupted, clearly impressed and a little surprised by the rule-abiding student.

"Pot. Kettle." Hermione smiled. "But Fudge refused to believe the dark lord was still alive and said he had the higher authority and they had to show a united front for the papers. They had to look like they were doing something. Something about the first Azkaban break-out making the ministry look weak."

"But dementors!" Gienah grimaced. "Hermione they're dreadful. Ooh when dad hears about this."

"Professor McGonagall threw a fit. You should have seen her Gen." Hermione said with admiration. "She was wearing her hair net and pink furry slippers when she told him exactly what she thought of the ministry intervention. Accused him of cutting corners to save his sickles. See, dementors don't have need for gold, but aurors do."

"Dad never really talks about his time in Azkaban but he told me they were dark creatures that knew no real allegiance beyond satisfying their thirst for despair."

"They're stationing them as we speak."

"But- what if a student meets a rogue dementor, she won't know how ward it!"

"Exactly."

"Hermione, do you know how to repel dementors?" Gienah asked with concern.

"No, that's NEWT standard even if that Gienah… Don't tell me you do!?"

"Give me some credit. It was the first thing he taught me and Harry when we came back last summer. Refused to teach us anything else before we had perfected the charm."

"A good thing to." Hermione said.

The table was becoming more crowded so they decided to attempt to put their minds on other things. Gienah read through the rest of the newspaper when she saw a small piece on a burglary. A robbery at Malfoy Manor!

 _Centuries worth of warding and near dark curses were no trouble for the brave, or rather stupid, burglar which attacked the manor last night as the family were sleeping unaware that all their treasures in their safe were taken from right under their noses. Paintings, silverware, and trinkets were taken from the ground floor and cellar as well as two of their prized peacocks. A rare breed whose females lay gold eggs. The aurors are investigating but there are no leads as of yet. The culprit left behind a silver fang which have led Auror Kingsley to believe this was no petty criminal._

There was a photo of Malfoy leaving the ministry with his wife putting a hand in front of her face to shield them from the paparazzi.

Gienah looked up and snickered when he saw Malfoy sulking at the Slytherin table. Before she could tell the others Dumbledore had risen from his chair with his hands out before him calling for silence. In a few seconds the sound of conversation and cutlery faded.

"It may be news to a few of you that Bellatrix Lestrange has escaped from Azkaban" Hermione fidgeted as his gaze seemed to pause at the Gryffindor table. "As a precautionary measure the ministry has placed dementors on our borders. I do not wish to cause you any alarm but do take me seriously when I say these creatures do not distinguish student from convicts. If you are found in their path the consequences will be dire. I ask you to remain in the castle after sunset and to remain strictly within the borders of Hogwarts."

Dumbledore was seated once more and Hermione panicked.

"He knew it was me!"

"That cloak is infallible Hermione, who probably heard you breathing and thought it was me." Gienah dismissed.

"Knew it was you what?" Ron said, listening intently as the hall broke out in whispers.

"Later" Gienah said. "I doubt we have anything to worry about. Just stay away from the dementors, but look at this-"

Gienah passed the paper to Harry.

"Ah, I'd like to send the bloke flowers." Ron said happily, shooting a smug glance towards Malfoy.

"But what was the silver fang about? A warning?" Harry asked. "A signature?"

"This reminds me of a case from a few years before the war." Hermione said thoughtfully. "They called themselves _The Prince of Thieves_ , targeting pure blooded aristocrats and a few days later an orphanage would have a new major secret donor or the hospital would be able to fund another ward. It happened in Germany during the rise of Grindelwald. They never found out who they were."

"How is it similar to our burglar?"

"They left a golden feather behind. Most believe it to be a symbol for the price of freedom."

Hermes flew over to her as they were leaving the hall. hermes pecked her nose affectionately before flying off again.

"Dad!" Gienah jumped with joy ripping the envelope open.

"Already?" Harry asked. "Blimey, not looking forward to-"

"No, Remus." Gienah said as she read through the letter.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _I'm sorry for not replying as much as I would like. I am otherwise engaged in some… tricky business. Rather sticky and unpleasant. There is no need to worry. My work is going as planned, but far from completion. I deeply regret to inform you I may not be home for Christmas. I will try my best, but it may as well be impossible and compromise my progress._

 _Love,_

 _Your father_

"Gienah?" Ron whispered.

Gienah had gone pale.

"When I say something may compromise my progress what does that really sound like to you?" Gienah asked Ron.

"Like he meant to say position." Ron replied, a little confused.

"And why would spending Christmas with his family compromise someone's position?"

"I suppose if he hasn't got other plans, unlikely seeing as it's Christmas, that either he can't physically get to you or to do so would compromise his position. Whatever that means."

"It would compromise his position if was scared of being followed or risked revealing his identity!" Gienah hissed.

"You got all that from 'compromise my progress'?" Ron said sceptically.

"He's looking for a missing werewolf. He's gone underground." Gienah groaned.

"Ten points off Gryffindor" Professor Burbage sighed. "Ron I expected you to be listening particularly closely."

They both mumbled an apology and faced the front of the class.

Malfoy was being more nasty than usual when he came to taunt her for failing the match on Saturday. He had finally taken off his bandages, and celebrated having the full use of both arms again by doing spirited imitations of Gienah falling off his broom.

"Grow up," Hermione hissed as he did it for the fourth time that day seeing SNape had left the room.

"Oh leave him Hermione, he's got to vent his feelings somehow." Gienah defended him. "What with his crazy aunt on the loose and his home being burgled as part of a vendetta. But I doubt it put a dent in the bank Malfoy so cheer up. Or is it the humiliation Malfoy? Not so powerful is he if he couldn't stop a petty burglary right under his nose. I reckon it's coz he turns his nose up to people so much, maybe if he paid attention- "

"Shut it," Malfoy hissed. "You're nothing but a filthy half-blooded half-breed muggle love. You ought to know your place Black."

"Aw I hope you haven't forgotten your lessons cousin. The Malfoys pledge their loyalty and allegiance to the Noble Most Ancient House of Black. In other words, you're my bitch Malfoy."

Malfoy whipped out his wand and sent a stinging hex her way, she easily blocked it and sneered at him.

"What's this Malfoy? Can't take the truth that the hierarchy you revere just got you served?" Gienah laughed.

Malfoy spat in her direction.

"Now, now Malfoy. You ought to know your place. Kneel." Gienah ordered.

Malfoy sent a relashio her way. The entire class were now stepping back. Ron stood by her side. The curse hit her face, leaving a nasty gash deep enough to scar.

Ron released some kind of war cry as he cracked and flung a large, slippery crocodile heart at Malfoy, which hit him in the face. The residue of the poisonous organ clinged to his face. Malfoy took no notice and continued to send hexes to the pair of them.

"Serpensortia" Malfoy sent one of his speciality. Gienah almost laughed as Vanajakshi uncoiled from her wrist and challenged the common adder.

"It's a beautifully accurate metaphor" Gienah mused. "The cobra and the adder. You're the adder by the way."

Malfoy sent another slashing hex and another, then something green and ominous looking that was blocked by an invisible shield.

Snape had just walked in and he was looking deadly.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

But Gienah was furious. She recognized a dark spell when she saw one. Malfoy had attempted to crucio her in front of a class of students.

"Oh, you're paying for that ferret." Gienah almost sang and slashed her wand with all her force. The shield ripped open and she followed the charm with a curse she liked to call grey magic. Black ropelike roots sprouted from her wands, reaching for Malfoy, curling around his limbs holding him stretched out, eagle like before her. All of him was wrapped, cocoon like. Before they were close to strangling him she ordered her creation to stop. Malfoy was frantically looking around, unable to speak, gagged by the roots and they all watched as he slowly turned more and more pale. Ashen. Death white. Gienah didn't know what she had done. The roots weren't poisonous. She froze in fear.

Snape was muttering the counter-spell, a complex rhunic chant that was known to but a few. There was silence as he fell to the ground, unconscious, or worst…

Gienah whimpered. Snape stuffed something in his mouth and then carried Malfoy in his arms.

"Class dismissed. Black, follow me." He said this order so quietly, it was incredible that everyone heard and what more, obeyed - swiftly and silently.

Gienah ran after him to the hospital wing. She was told to remain by the doorway so she wasn't sure what was happening. It sounded like he was going to live. Pomfrey was running around, feeding him potion after potion. Finally there was a lull in the movements and Pomfrey was silently monitoring his vital organs and recording the results on her report. Snape returned and grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the hospital wing. He kept a firm grip on her as he took her to Dumbledore's office.

"Enter" Dumbledore called from inside. Snape finally let her go and pointed a quivering finger.

"Ms. Black poisoned Draco." He was seething. "Duelling in the middle of my class. Never, in all my life-"

"I DIDN'T POISON HIM"

"Crocodile heart" Snape spat out. "Performed the cassava curse before my very eyes. Ripped my shield down and was about to suffocate him."

Gienah was tempted to roll her eyes.

"Like father like daughter" sneered Snape. "I want to see this girl expelled."

"Severus-" Dumbledore started.

"HE TRIED TO CRUCIO ME"

They stared at her.

"Does that mean he gets a one way ticket to Azkaban?" Gienah laughed. "No? I didn't think so. Now I was not suffocating him, I was rendering him immobile. The heart wasn't me, he must've been careless with his gloves professor. Accidents happen."

"There we are Severus, there was no intent to murder." Dumbledore said soothingly. "Perhaps maim or severely injure but from the sounds of it that was intentions from both sides. I see no reason for expulsion if both parties are willing to apologize."

Gienah nodded.

"Now, I think detentions for the pair of you every Saturday night till Christmas will suffice." Dumbledore continued.

"Ban from quidditch." Snape added.

"No!" Gienah cried.

"A compromise perhaps." Dumbledore brought out his hands in a gesture of peace. "A years ban from Hogsmeade."

Gienah sighed with relief.

"And fifty points from both houses." Dumbledore finished.

Gienah huffed but remained silent.

"You are dismissed, please refer to Severus for your detentions. I expect the two of you to sit your detentions together in a hope that you may… settle your differences."

Gienah and Snape both snorted, looked at each other than pointedly away. Dumbledore refrained from chuckling as they both stalked out of his office.

"I can't believe you tried to get me expelled" Gienah grumbled.

Snape stared at her in a hope that she would run away, like any normal person. He sighed when she just placed her hands on her hips instead.

"I- I didn't know he tried to crucio you."

"I'm not my father Professor." Gienah said quietly.

Sirius nodded tersely at her and dramatically turned, his cloak whipping behind him. Gienah shook her head and ran to her next lesson, praying she wouldn't receive further punishment. The class were still settling down. She sighed with relief despite the glares she was getting off Slytherins. They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Ambrogio had brought along a glass box containing a Hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless looking.

"Lures travelers into bogs," said Professor Ambrogio as they took notes. "You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead - people follow the light - then -"

The Hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass.

Towards the end of lessons he stopped their lesson and began lecturing them on dementors.

"Now, these creatures are not covered on the third year curriculum but seeing as we are playing host to our - long faced guests-" He flashed the now familiar fanged smile and the class chuckled.

"It is only polite we know a little more about them."

"What do we know about dementors?"

A few hands were raised.

"Crabbe."

The entire class whipped their heads to the usually silent and menacing Slytherin.

"They guard the wizarding prison, Azkaban."

"And what do we know of Azkaban?"

"It's a fortress on an island, out to sea, stone walls, iron bars and cells that cancel out magic... but you don't need walls and water to keep th' prisoners in, coz they're all trapped inside their heads, can't have any kinda happy thought. Most of 'em go mad within weeks."

"But Bellatrix Lestrange-" Gienah said.

"Escaped. Yes. We can only speculate…But as we are not in Akzaban and I hope none of you end up there let us look to defences we can use when armed. Please stand."

The desks were placed to the side with a wave of a wand.

"The incantation is Expecto Patronum." The professor articulated clearly. "Repeat after me Expecto Patronum."

"Expecto Patronum" The class chorused.

The wand movement is as follows. Professor Ambrogio did a circling motion with his wand before bringing it forward straight before him. The class repeated the action.

"Now, the spell requires a happy memory to feed it's power and channel it into your patronus. Close your eyes, think of that memory as you circle your wand then say the incantation. 3, 2, 1".

Around the class there were wisps here and there, most did not manage anything at all but galloping around the room was a silver stag and a flying eagle. The students gasped. Lavender and Parvati aww'd. Hermione beamed and Ron muttered show-offs.

"Twenty points to Gryffindor." Ambrogio flashed his fanged smile at the two siblings, shuffling their feet under the attention. Well, Harry was. Gienah was perfectly at ease, staring up at her eagle which was fading away as it fell elegantly to the centre of the room it was gone. Liberty.

 _Gienah,_

 _The gods are punishing me. I suppose you were hoping Dumbledore wouldn't inform me of your impromptu duel. As I am proud that you bested the Malfoy brat… As I am impressed in you successful casting of the cassava course, Gienah... WHY IN THE NAME OF MERLIN'S SAGGY LEFT TESTICLE WOULD YOU DUEL IN CLASS? In Snivellus's class of ALL classes? I like to think of all my transgressions at school, I was never so cavalier. I am conflicted my little love dove. Between admiration and disappointment._

 _Love,_

 _Your conflicted father_

Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match at the end of November, Gienah's mood took a definite upturn. Gryffindor were not out of the running after all, although they could not afford to lose another match. Wood became repossessed of his manic energy, and worked his team as hard as ever in the chilly haze of rain that persisted into December.

Saturday detentions Gienah and Malfoy spent in the dungeons doing various unpleasant tasks for Snape. They never spoke except out of necessity. On the third Saturday however she came in and saw Malfoy scraping the cauldron's with a vengeance he usually reserved for her.

"Who pissed on your parade?"

"I beg your pardon?" Malfoy drawled. Gienah looked at him funny.

"You feeling alright?"

"Pissed on your parade?" Malfoy repeated.

"Yeah you know, put a wand up your arse, tiffed off your hippogriff, sat a cactus on your gluteus maximus…"

Malfoy continued to stare at her.

"Sensitive subject?" Gienah snorted with laughter.

"How do you come up with those?"

"Dad's full of 'em" Gienah grinned. "I love it when he slips in the nasty ones. Dad gives him an earful."

"The werewolf." Malfoy stated.

"Aha."

"Don't you think it's stupid you have two?"

"You're stupid."

"Real mature."

"I actually think I'm blessed. Who needs a mother that's ashamed of you when you get two daddies intent of spoiling you rotten?"

"And you call me entitled?"

"You _think_ you're entitled." She corrected him.

"I am entitled."

"Malfoy."

"What?"

"We're having a civil conversation."

They both shuddered and continued scraping in silence, though she never did found out who had... crapped in his cauldron? Shat on his shih tzu?

Two weeks before the end of the term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling, opaline white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies. The students were all happily discussing their plans for the holidays. Gienah and Harry had decided to remain at Hogwarts, finding it strange to celebrate at the cottage without the glue of their odd family. Sirius was going to spend a quiet Christmas with the Tonks and then get bladdered with Charlie and some other guys from the safari.

To everyone's delight except Gienah's, there was to be another Hogsmeade trip on the very last weekend of the term. Cedric had offered to stay in Hogwarts with her but she couldn't rob him of an opportune moment to Christmas shop.

"We can do all our Christmas shopping there!" said Hermione. "Mum and Dad would really love those Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes!"

On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Gienah bid good-bye to Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were wrapped in cloaks and scarves, then turned up the marble staircase alone, and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower. Snow had started to fall outside the windows, and the castle was very still and quiet.

"Psst - Gen!"

She turned, halfway along the third-floor corridor, to see Fred and George peering out at her from behind a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch.

"What are you two up to now?" said Gienah. "How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?"

"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go," said Fred, with a mysterious wink. "Come in here..."

He nodded toward an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed statue. Gienah hesitated. What was the likelihood this was an elaborate prank? Gienah's curiosity got the better of her and she followed Fred and George inside. George closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at Gienah.

"Early Christmas present for you, Gienah," he said.

"Aw man, does that mean I need to get you something?"

Fred pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. Harry, suspecting one of Fred and George's jokes, stared at it.

"Well, if _that's_ the bar you've raised I'll be wrapping you two sickles."

"That, Gen, is the secret of our success," said George, patting the parchment fondly.

"It's a wrench, giving it to you," said Fred, "but we decided last night, your need's greater than ours."

"Anyway, we know it by heart," said George. "We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore."

"And what do I need with a bit of old parchment?" said Gienah.

"A bit of old parchment!" said Fred, closing his eyes with a grimace as though she had mortally offended him. "Explain, George."

"Well...when we were in our first year, Gen - young, carefree, and innocent -"

Gienah snorted. She doubted whether Fred and George had ever been innocent.

"¨C well, more innocent than we are now - we got into a spot of bother with Filch."

"We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason -"

"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual -"

"- detention -"

"- disembowelment -"

"- and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous."

"Don't tell me -" said Gienah.

"Well, what would you've done?" said Fred. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open, and grabbed - this."

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," said George. "We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."

"And you know how to work it?"

"Oh yes," said Fred, smirking. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."

"Your taking the mick," said Gienah, looking at the ragged old bit of parchment.

"Oh, are we?" said George.

He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:

Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers

are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP

Gienah gasped.

It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, Gienah bent over it. A labeled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. And as Gienah's eyes traveled up and down the familiar corridors, she noticed something else.

This map showed a set of passages she had never entered. And many of them seemed to lead -

"Right into Hogsmeade," said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. "There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four" - he pointed them out - "but we're sure we're the only ones who know about these. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in - completely blocked. And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance. But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, patting the heading of the map. "We owe them so much."

Gienah squeaked.

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," said Fred solemnly.

"Right," said George briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it -"

"- or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly.

"Just tap it again and say, "Mischief managed!" And it'll go blank."

"So, young Gienah," said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, "mind you behave yourself."

"See you in Honeydukes," said George, winking.

They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way.

Gienah stood there, gazing at the miraculous map. This was exactly like Lupin had described it. The Marauder's Map they created in their third year and it truly was a work of art. Gienah traced the secret passage to Honeydukes with her finger.

Then, quite suddenly, as though following orders, she rolled up the map, stuffed it inside her robes, and hurried to the door of the classroom. She opened it a couple of inches. There was no one outside. Very carefully, she edged out of the room and behind the statue of the one-eyed witch.

What did she have to do? She pulled out the map again and saw to her astonishment, that a new ink figure had appeared upon it, labeled 'Gienah Black'. This figure was standing exactly where the real Gienah was standing, about halfway down the third-floor corridor. Gienah watched carefully. Her little Ink self appeared to be tapping the witch with her minute wand. Gienah quickly took out her real wand and tapped the statue. Nothing happened. She looked back at the map. The tiniest speech bubble had appeared next to her figure. The word inside said, 'Dissendium.'

"Dissendium!" Gienah whispered, tapping the stone witch again.

At once, the statue's hump opened wide enough to admit a fairly thin person. Gienah glanced quickly up and down the corridor, then tucked the map away again, hoisted herself into the hole head first, and pushed herself forward.

She slid a considerable way down what felt like a stone slide, then landed on cold, damp earth. She stood up, looking around. It was pitch dark. She held up her wand, muttered, "Lumos!" and saw that she was in a very narrow, low, earthy passageway. She raised the map, tapped it with the tip of her wand, and muttered, "Mischief managed!" The map went blank at once. She folded it carefully, tucked it inside her robes, then, heart beating fast, both excited and apprehensive, she set off.

The passage twisted and turned, more like the burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else. Gienah hurried along it, stumbling now and then on the uneven floor, holding her wand out in front of her. After what felt like an hour, the passage began to rise. Panting, Gienah sped up, her face hot, her feet very cold.

Ten minutes later, she came to the foot of some worn stone steps, which rose out of sight above her. Careful not to make any noise, Gienah began to climb. A hundred steps, two hundred steps, she lost count as she climbed, watching her feet...then, without warning, her head hit something hard.

It seemed to be a trap door. Gienah stood there, massaging the top of her head, listening. She couldn't hear any sounds above him. Very slowly, she pushed the trapdoor open and peered over the edge.

She was in a cellar, which was full of wooden crates and boxes. Harry climbed out of the trapdoor and replaced it - it blended so perfectly with the dusty floor that it was impossible to tell it was there. Gienah crept slowly toward the wooden staircase that led upstairs. Now she could definitely hear voices, not to mention the tinkle of a bell and the opening and shutting of a door.

She suddenly heard a door open much closer at hand; somebody was about to come downstairs.

"And get another box of Jelly Slugs, dear, they've nearly cleaned us out -" said a woman's voice.

A pair of feet was coming down the staircase. Gienah leapt behind an enormous crate and waited for the footsteps to pass. She heard the man shifting boxes against the opposite wall. She closed her eyes and nimbly flew out of the cellar.

She found herself behind the counter of Honeydukes -

Honeydukes was so crowded with Hogwarts students that no one looked twice at Gienah. There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-colored toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavor Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizbees, the levitating sherbet balls that Ron had mentioned; along yet another wall were 'Special Effects' - sweets: Droobles Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-colored bubbles that refused to pop for days), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps ('breathe fire for your friends!'), Ice Mice ('hear your teeth chatter and squeak!'), peppermint creams shaped like toads ('hop realistically in the stomach!'), fragile sugar-spun quills, and exploding bonbons.

Gienah squeezed herself through a crowd of sixth years and saw a sign hanging in the farthest corner of the shop (UNUSUAL TASTES). Harry, Ron and Hermione were standing underneath it, examining a tray of blood-flavored lollipops. Gienah sneaked up behind them.

"Ugh, no, Gen won't want one of those, they're for vampires, I expect," Hermione was saying.

"How about these?" said Ron, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Hermione's nose.

"Definitely not," said Gienah.

Ron nearly dropped the jar. Harry folded his arms.

"Gienah!" squealed Hermione. "What are you doing here? How - how did you -?"

"What was that in Remus's last letter" Harry lectured her whilst grinning. "Toeing the line?"

"Wow!" said Ron, looking very impressed, "you've learned to Apparate!"

"'You numpty," said Gienah. "I reckon he'd have to keep shtum seeing as I used an object he helped create in aiding me here." She dropped her voice so that none of the sixth years could hear her and told them all about the Marauder's Map.

"How come Fred and George never gave it to me!" said Ron, outraged. "I'm their brother!"

"My father's helped found it!"

"But Gienah isn't going to keep it!" said Hermione, as though the idea were ludicrous. "She's going to hand it into Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Gienah?"

"No, I'm not!" said Gienah.

"Are you mad?" said Ron, goggling at Hermione. "Hand in something that good?"

When Harry, Ron and Hermione had paid for all their sweets, the four of them left Honeydukes for the blizzard outside.

Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card; the little thatched cottages and shops were all covered in a layer of crisp snow; there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees.

Gienah shivered; she didn't have her cloak. They headed up the street, heads bowed against the wind.

"We could go up to the Shrieking Shack -"

"Tell you what," said Ron, his teeth chattering, "shall we go for a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks?"

Gienah was more than willing; the wind was fierce and her hands were freezing, so they crossed the road, and in a few minutes were entering the tiny inn. It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. A curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving a bunch of rowdy warlocks up at the bar.

"I'll get the drinks, shall I?" Ron offered, going slightly red.

Gienah, Harry and Hermione made their way to the back of the room, where there was a small, vacant table between the window and a handsome Christmas tree, which stood next to the fireplace. Ron came back five minutes later, carrying four foaming tankards of hot butterbeer.

"Merry Christmas!" he said happily, raising his tankard.

Gienah drank deeply. It seemed to heat every bit of her from the inside.

A sudden breeze ruffled his hair. The door of the Three Broomsticks had opened again. Gienah looked over the rim of his tankard and choked.

Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered the pub with a flurry of snowflakes, shortly followed by Hagrid, who was deep in conversation with a portly man in a lime-green bowler hat and a pinstriped cloak - Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic.

In an instant, Ron and Hermione had both placed hands on the top of Gienah's head and forced her off her stool and under the table. Dripping with butterbeer and crouching out of sight, Gienah clutched her empty tankard and watched the teachers' and Fudge's feet move toward the bar, pause, then turn and walk right toward her.

Gienah closed her eyes and slithered up Ron's leg. He shivered slightly as she settled around his neck.

"A small gillywater -"

"Mine," said Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Four pints of mulled mead -"

"Ta, Rosmerta," said Hagrid.

"A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella -"

"Mmm!" said Professor Flitwick, smacking his lips.

"So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister."

"Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear," said Fudge's voice. "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us..."

"Well, thank you very much, Minister."

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" said Madam Rosmerta.

Fudge twisted in his chair as though he were checking for eavesdroppers. Ron started whistling and Hermione elbowed him in the stomach. Then Fudge said in a quiet voice, "What else, m'dear, but Bellatrix Lestrange? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school before Halloween?"

"I did hear a rumor," admitted Madam Rosmerta.

"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly.

"Do you think Pettigrew's still in the area, Minister?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

"I'm sure of it," said Fudge shortly.

"You know that the Dementors have searched the whole village twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away...It's very bad for business, Minister."

"Rosmerta, dear, I don't like them any more than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution... unfortunate, but there you are...I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore - he won't let them inside the castle grounds."

"I should think not," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"

"Hear, hear!" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick, whose feet were dangling a foot from the ground.

"All the same," demurred Fudge, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse...We all know what Lestrange's capable of..."

"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Peter Pettigrew… Hero-worshipped Black and Potter"

"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."

"The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"

"I certainly do," said Fudge.

"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"

"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," murmured Professor McGonagall. "Do you remember who his best friend's were?"

"Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here - ooh, they used to make me laugh. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and James Potter!"

"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "I don't think we've ever had such troublemakers -"

"I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money."

Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."

"How does that work?" said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.

"An immensely complex spell," he said squeakily, "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find - unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!"

"So Pettigrew was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

"Surprisingly," said Professor McGonagall. "We were all fooled into thinking it was Black. James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself...and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself."

"He suspected Black?" said Madam Rosmerta.

"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."

"And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed -" Fudge said.

"Pettigrew betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta.

"He did indeed. But You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Pettigrew in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Pettigrew, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it -"

"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet.

"Shh!" said Professor McGonagall.

"Sirius was broken tha' night. Left Harry with me to find Peter. I never knew that then of course. Ten years I thought Black betrayed the Potters! TEN YEARS HE WAS ROTTIN' IN AZKABAN. And all the while Pettigrew was playing house at the Weasley's."

Ron stiffened.

"So Black took the fall" Rosmerta said sadly.

"Eyewitnesses - Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later - told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for his wand..."

Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, "Imprisonment without trial. A disgrace.."

"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Pettigrew before Sirius did, I wouldn't've messed around with wands - I'd 've ripped him limb - from - limb," Hagrid growled.

"I - I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing-"

Fudge's voice stopped abruptly. There was the sound of five noses being blown.

"Well, there you have it, Rosmerta," said Fudge thickly. "Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class. His daughter visited him two years ago and found out he was innocent. Set the record straight and we released with very generous arrears. And weeks ago Pettigrew was discovered by Black's daughter in Weasley's dormitory. Escaped once again".

Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh.

"And now Lestrange and Pettigrew are after Potter?"

Harry curled his fists.

"I believe so."

"And then rejoin you-know-who?"

"I daresay that is his - er - eventual plan," said Fudge evasively. "But we hope to catch Lestrange long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing...but give him back his most devoted servant, and I shudder to think how quickly he'll rise again..."

There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass.

"You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head back up to the castle," said Professor McGonagall.

The door of the Three Broomsticks opened again, there was another flurry of snow, and the teachers had disappeared.

"Harry?"

Harry ran outside, pushing people out of his way and Ron and Hermione stumbled as they followed. Gienah sighed, still coiled around Ron's neck.

They chased him up to the shrieking shack. Gienah transformed and told Hermione and Ron to let her try. He was rocking on the icy ground, his hands in his arms.

"Harry." Gienah said softly. Harry looked up and saw her offering her arms. He closed his eyes and allowed her embrace to swallow him. "I know it isn't fair love. The world isn't fair. But think of it this way. If she chases you, we don't have to do the leg work. She tortured the Longbottoms into insanity and I for one plan to avenge him."

Harry laughed weakly.

"Gienah, I worry about that murderous Black gene of yours."

"I think dad calls it Bane." Gienah said thoughtfully.

"I just- Voldemort, Quirrell, Tom - now Lestrange and Pettigrew. I haven't done anything but react. They've put me on a permanent defensive."

"We'll teach 'em Harry. Just you see. We'll teach them to rue the day they decided to mess with the Black's."

"I'm a Potter" Harry pointed out.

"Must you ruin it?" Gienah sighed. "Perfect ending to my pep talk."


	21. Mary-Jane

Chapter Twenty-Five: **Mary-Jane**

"Oy Harper" shouted a drunk wizard from the bar of the inn.

"Be with you in a minute Dung" Lupin shouted across the busy bar, disappearing through the back. Opening his door he opened the cupboard and retrieved a large trunk sitting at the bottom. He emptied the contents of his leather pouch and charmed it once more. Lupin splashed water on his face and looked at his scarred face. Renewing the glamour on his eyes he walked downstairs. As he passed the rooms he heard mutterings, one room which continuously had a stream of men he was convinced belonged to a prostitute.

"Alright love?" A young witch by the name of Selma was walking to her room wearing barely anything. She had red hair in a shade that couldn't have been natural and full lips that were always shaded in various shades of red. Lupin winked at her as she passed. Got to keep up appearances he justified to himself with a grin. If Sirius could see him now.

It was nearing midnight and the Gobbler was the only bar open past one on a weekday. Lulu the bosomy landlord was in her element. She wore her usual corset over her dress robes, her hair in ringlets tied back with a red bandana.

"Lulu!" Lupin slammed his fist on the bar and she raised her eyebrow before laughing heartily. The other customers jeered as she served him right away.

"Good day?" She asked as she poured him his usual. Goblin's gin on the rocks.

He gave her a galleon with a smirk. She rolled her eyes.

"Harper!" Dung called again. He was bladdered. Though now he thought about it, he'd never seen him sobre except when he was crashing on his floor.

Dung was sitting on a round table by the back of the bar surrounding by a few new faces. A bottle of firewhiskey was half empty on the table, along with a pack of cards and half a dozen empty glasses. Dunged burped loudly as Lupin sat down and two of the men laughed raucously.

"Nice to you too you scallywag." Lupin drawled richly.

"This here is my man Harper" Dung introduced him to the two men and one woman. "Harper, this is Slim, Fat Joe and Mary Jane."

Slim was a boy faced man with a triple chin, Fat Joe was as thin as a rail and Mary Jane looked like she'd never stepped a foot in church.

"Pleasure." Lupin said, sipping his drink.

"Slim's in the trade. Thought ya might be interested in wha' he's sellin'" Dung winked at him.

Lupin nodded at the man with a leering mouth much too large for his face and round baby blue eyes. His blonde hair was slicked back with gel.

"I bin 'earing fings bout you son." Slim said with a smile.

"What things?" Lupin asked quickly.

"All good don't ya worry." Slim winked. But Lupin did worry. He was not here to get unwanted attention.

"What _kind_ of trade?" The greying woman asked. Lupin looked at her properly for the first time and the voice didn't match the face. She has a large hooked nose, thin lips and squinting eyes. Black thinning hair was streaked with white. She wore dirtied white robes and several rings on her fingers. Yet she spoke in a sing-song, her voice high and musical.

"Class A" Lupin said with a grin, baring his toothless smile and showing his dimpled face. "Specialize in beasts but dabble here and there."

"A'ight don't want talk of no business tonight eh boys." Fat Joe raised his glass. "To getting fucked."

The rest of the night Dung regaled outrageous stories that Lupin was sure he had made up. Mundungus Fletcher was a short wizard with bandy legs and long, straggly ginger hair. He had bloodshot eyes that were full of life. Despite being a shameless crook, Lupin was rather fond of the man. He hadn't recognized him from all those years ago. They met at the pop-up market at the basement in an unknown place he had a portkey invite to a few weeks ago when he was looking to sell Malfoy's darker valuables. Dung wasn't doing much buying and selling, but they hit it off right away. In the sense that he didn't make Lupin want to clean out his ears and barf after. There were some sick wizards about with a twisted idea of fun.

"So I tell 'im I 'ad no idea Dung. Here, have it. It's on me. I kissed 'im on the mouth and cried yer a good man Karl. Bless ya. And walked out of there with the whole darn bag!" Dung finished with a mock bow. Lupin shook his head.

"Shameless." Lupin chuckled.

"You're one to talk." Dung laughed, tears from his eyes.

"I'd never rob me family Dung." Lupin said.

"Alright, alright…" Mundungus waved his grubby hands. "I'm getting anover bottle, pay your share lads - theres a good man."

Mundungus hobbled to the bar, Slim following him equally inebriated.

"Mary-Jane is it?" Lupin slurred, pointing a finger a touch too close to her impressive hook.

"Depends who's asking, handsome." She winked at her. Not a coy wink, or even a flirtatious one. It was leering and

"Where'd you come from?" Lupin asked her.

"From her mother's fanny" offered Fat Joe. His large teeth revealed by his permanent stupid grin.

She nodded, pointing at Fat Joe silently.

"Nice place, you should visit some time." She said dead seriously.

"Lovely lady" Fat Joe said with closed eyes.

"Open door policy." The woman added.

"What 'appened to ya?" Lupin said, almost whispering in her ear.

"What ever do you mean darling?" She asked

"What 'appened to make your eyes go like 're breathing, talking, drinkin', but that's no life you're livin'. Yer eyes got no light in 'em. They're dead. What 'appened to ya? What's your story Mary Jane?"

"Listen to me sunshine." She laughed bitterly, a little madly. "Listen to my sad, sad song about a sad, sad world. Nobody told me. Nobody told her. The world out there is a fucked up funny little world and she came from a fucked up funny little family. Daddy liked her a little too well, and mother beat her a time too many. Beat me and bruised me black and blue, pink and raw. I went out in the big bad world with the wolves and the giants but none of the good guys and I went out there with my wand blazing. It ripped me apart, tore at my conscious and stole my heart for good measure, and now, now, I'm back with my tail between my legs hoping for my happily ever after."

She knocked back her drink.

"And what about you my pretty? You're eyes sparkle like stars, twinkle like fairy lights on Christmas day. But lookie here. Look at his face. Not so pretty scars and not so pretty lines."

Lupin couldn't look away from those grey eyes that sparked a little as she spoke.

"Ha." He said. "Would you look at that?"

"What?"

"You're living after all."

Next morning Lupin woke up at noon to Dung snoring a few feet away from him. Lupin looked down at the balding man, drooling on his carpet and shook his head remembering mornings waking up to the smell of coffee, not booze. Sirius whistling in the kitchen, Gienah reading in the library, Harry out on his broomstick. And so far, nothing. He managed to sell a vial of werewolf blood through the middle man. He had no idea who else was in on the business. During the last full moon he drew half a litre of blood before he fell unconscious. With six vials of blood he planned to follow the man and go straight to the customers. Then he could find out who their other suppliers were.

Lupin had a quick shower, the water was freezing, he had to use a warming charm as he bathed, one hand holding the wand and the other scrubbing.

He got dressed as Dung continued to snore and walked out of the inn. It was a cool day with a biting wind, it barely touched him. He walked down the narrow, cobbled road with its sinister faces and shadowy figures, before long coming to Diagon Alley. The photos of Pettigrew and Lestrange plastered the windows of shops and walls. Sirius had told him the Minister had come to the cottage in person to discuss security measures for Harry. But it was absurd that she would hunt him, before attempting to find Voldemort. He supposed the precautions couldn't hurt. Sighing, he entered a small tea shop between Madame Malkins and Flourish and Blotts. How appropriate he thought wryly.

He saw the man with the pointed hat and walked straight to him.

"Harper" The man said warmly, shaking his hand. "Coffee?"

Lupin nodded.

Gordon Twittlebee was an odd wizard. He was prim and proper. Every bit of him from his pointed hat to his polished boots screamed a well-to-do ordinary citizen. He had a wife and two children who had just graduated from Hogwarts. One was working abroad in a Gringotts branch in America and the other worked in publishing.

"How is business Harper?" Gordon asked with a warm smile.

"Booming." Lupin said honestly. "I might make it my full-time occupation."

"They all say that my friend, but I warn you, it'll get you in the end." Gordon said knowingly. "Enough for a few comforts and the odd thrill but risks are risks. You understand?"

"Yes sir." Lupin said. "I have something for Penny."

"You shouldn't have." Gordon waved his hand.

"I'm sure she'd appreciate it." Lupin continued. "Six candlesticks holders. Brought them last week."

"You spoil her Harper." Gordon laughed and took the case he passed her.

"As should you Gordon, as should you." Lupin finished his coffee. "I have business, I will see you in a few weeks my man."

Gordon stood and gave him a one handed hug whilst smuggling a heavy pouch of gold into Lupin's open pocket.

Lupin left wondering why he had lived in near poverty when he could have sold a few drops of blood every month. He entered the book shop and brought a newspaper and went to the counter as he did most days.

"Afternoon Harper" smiled the elderly man behind the desk. "We have a few new releases at the front concerning something that may interest you."

"Good Afternoon Mr. Blott" Lupin smiled. "I'll have a look. Just the newspaper for me today."

"Two sickles." Mr. Blott said warmly.

"How's the search going?" Lupin asked in what he hoped was a casual tone.

"Useless. Utter morons, the lot of 'em. If I didn't know better I'd say the extent of their search was printin' off a few missing posters and plastering them in random cities. I contacted the French ministry and they told me they hadn't even been notified. Discrimination against werewolf I understand but- even then the blundering fools can't see it's in the citizen's interest to have werewolves accounted for."

"Ah, a good ranting against the ministry always makes my day" Lupin chuckled. "And I'm with you with that one sir. Good day."

Lupin cast a disillusionment charm on himself as he looked through the window. Gordon was paying for his coffee and leaving the cafe. Lupin waited as Gordon looked around and walked towards the Leaky Cauldron. Lupin sighed. This was going to be a tedious project. He sat around as he chatted to a few of the locals, collected a parcel from Tom and headed towards the floo. Lupin followed him and lightly held his robe as he said clearly "Sleepy Hollow". Gordon came out into a small travelling room complete with boots and coats, umbrellas and a massive fire place. He walked out of the room and through an entrance hall. Gordon lived in a comfortable home that was large but cosy. Up one flight of stairs he walked into the study and closed the door. Lupin placed a silencing charm on himself as he watched Gordon place the two packaged on his desk and take a seat.

"Honey is that you?" Came a woman's voice.

"I'll be down in a minute love." He replied, quickly scribbling on a bit of paper. He then copied the letter and called for "Bilbo!" Lupin snickered. What owl suited the name Bilbo? Then out from the window came a rounded owl with tufty brown feathers and large claws. Lupin stared. That owl apparently. He had a large rat in his mouth.

Gordon opened the two packages as he waited for the owl to finish his snack. Lupin edged towards the desk but tripped on the carpet. Gordon looked sharply at the floor, blinked, then returned his eyes on the vials of blood.

 _I have six collections of vials freshly picked last month. If you are interested owl me a time and place._

 _Twittlebee_

The envelopes were stacked. Lupin only saw the first address.

Constantine

Tredegar Square

London

Gordon seemed preoccupied with his second package so Lupin chanced it. He duplicated the envelopes and stuffed them in his pockets only to turn and see Gordon staring, open mouthed at wad of envelopes vanishing into thin air.

Lupin groaned. Memory charms weren't his speciality. He lazily sent a sleeping charm at him and casted "Obliviate".


	22. Christmas at Hogwarts

Chapter Twenty-Six: **Christmas at Hogwarts**

Gienah and Malfoy were cleaning vials and jars for Snape on their final detention in the dungeons. Gienah was feeling quite cheery at the fact as she rinsed the sludge from one jar.

"You're smiling." Malfoy said as he scrubbed another jar, this time stained by an ominous looking black substance.

"Almost Christmas," Gienah explained.

Malfoy nodded.

"Not again." Gienah groaned. "If you're going to be moody and surly at least tell me who's responsible. I'll send them flowers and then a polite note saying you're unhappiness is strictly my responsibility."

Malfoy sniggered.

Gienah stared.

"When you found out Potter was your brother, how did you… feel?" Malfoy asked her.

"How did I… _feel_?" Gienah said the word feel like it was a filthy word. "Why are we talking about _feelings_ Malfoy?"

"Can we pretend we're not arch-enemies for a second" Malfoy snapped. "I can't exactly talk about this stuff with Pansy."

"Why can you talk about it with me?" Gienah said, a little weirded out.

"I don't know." Malfoy shrugged.

"Fine", Gienah said, still a little suspicious. "Upset because dad had kept him secret, excited to meet him and I felt… like I finally belonged."

"Oh." Malfoy said.

"Why do you ask?"

"Mother's having a baby." Malfoy frowned.

"Congratulations." Gienah smiled. "Maybe you'll learn not be such a spoilt brat."

"It's a girl" Malfoy said sourly.

"Malfoy, how many times do I have tell you boys, we don't have cooties." Gienah rolled her eyes.

"Mother always wanted a girl" Malfoy continued, almost talking to himself. "I always felt she wished I had been a girl when she kept having miscarriages afterwards. I remember my childhood being a series of episodes where mother and father would be happy, shopping for a baby girl, painting the nursery and then locking the room, crying, arguing then eventually they didn't talk at all."

"And now?"

"She's due any day now." Malfoy said. "And I don't know how to feel about this thing that made my childhood."

"Look Malfoy." Gienah sighed. "I doubt that all their arguments revolved around the hopes of birthing a baby girl. And even if it was, she has nothing to do with it. Don't taint her existence with tragedy before she'd even been born."

Malfoy looked at her as if seeing her for the first time.

"I'm scared I'll hate her."

"I know you'll love her. If I know one thing, you're loyal to your blood." Gienah said surely. "Though I feel the need to remind you that we are related."

"I didn't start this, Gienah, you did." Malfoy said softly.

"Right, get out of my sight." Snape snapped as he came in from his office. "I have two wonderful weeks without having to see a single child and you're ruining it."

Gienah and Malfoy looked at each other, smirking for a second before realizing who they were smirking with.

"Merry Christmas" Malfoy said cheerfully to Snape as he left.

"What did you do to him?" Snape asked Gienah suspiciously.

"Slytherin knows." Gienah shrugged. "Now I have something I wanted to ask you.

"Why?" Snape said to the ceiling.

"Because I need your help."

"I wasn't talking to you." Snape snapped.

Gienah looked up to the ceiling.

"God, really?" She asked sceptically. "And if you were asking Slytherin, I doubt he's in any kind of heaven professor. You may want to speak towards the floor."

"Get out." Snape repeated.

Gienah took a seat instead.

"Can you track Lestrange?" Gienah asked.

"No." Snape said. "Get out."

"Will you help me track Lestrange?"

"No." Snape walked to the door and opened it.

"Professor!" Gienah said impatiently. "I know you're concerned that the dark lord grows stronger and the escape of two wanted followers scares the crap out of you as well as it does me."

Snape folded his arms.

"I am NOT a liability. I defeated Quirrell. I found out that Riddle was Voldemort. I am Nagual." Gienah said the last three words with a fire in her eyes. Snape stopped scowling. He looked at her carefully before taking a seat.

"How do you propose to hunt her down?"

"I have no idea." Gienah said honestly. "I hoped you did."

"Our only lead is Pettigrew." Snape said. "He is no longer in the country. The further away he is the duller the gem is."

Snape brought out a black stone.

"The stone appears from the fumes of the potion and burns hotter when it is closer to our target."

"Impressive." Gienah admitted.

Snape snorted.

"It is a tiresome way in which to find a wizard." Snape dismissed. "Potions are often intricate with living creatures. It is why they are consumed."

"I see." Gienah said.

"Only warding magic has the ability beyond distances" Snape continued. "A severe constraint of our magic. We may enchant an object and the magic will depart from us, severing all links once removed from our presence. We may imprint our magic upon objects or persons, but once left alone, it is no longer in our power."

Snap sighed.

"I digress." Snape looked at her again. "Bellatrix cannot return to her home, nor can she retrieve her gold from Gringotts without the ministry being informed. But she is not without resources. She is a powerful witch. I expect she will create a new identity in which to return to the right network and begin contacting old allies. I suspect she will eventually approach Narcissa. Death Eaters who escaped Azkaban; Malfoy, the Carrows, Avery, Crabbe, Goyle, Rosier, Macnair, Nott, possibly Karkaroff."

"We'll need to somehow keep an eye on Narcissa." Gienah said with her hands in her hair.

" _We_ don't need to do anything." Snape said tersely. "Leave Lestrange in the hands of the ministry."

Gienah snorted derisively.

"I know you are not incompetent." Snape said. "You have the makings of a powerful witch, but before you make any plans on conquering any dark lords and their dangerous followers I suggest you complete your education. Push yourself and your boundaries. The dark lord was not borne from ignorance. Know your enemy. Instruct yourself in the dark arts."

"Will you help me?" Gienah asked.

"I will." Snape said after some consideration. "Now get out."

Gienah had awoken to find the dormitory deserted, dressed, and gone down the spiral staircase to a common room that was completely empty except for Ron, who was eating a Peppermint Toad and massaging his stomach, Harry, who was napping on the hearth, and Hermione, who had spread her homework over three tables.

"Feels strange not being at home." Gienah said with a lazy yawn as she went to sit in her favourite armchair by the window.

"What, not going to summon your homework and race to see who finishes first?" Ron teased.

"Just for that Weasley." Gienah summoned her books and began on muggle studies. "What exactly is technology?"

Ron groaned.

Gienah grinned and stifled yet another yaw.

"Look," said Ron, obviously casting around for a change of subject, "it's the holidays! It's nearly Christmas! Let's - let's go down and see Hagrid. We haven't visited him for ages!"

Gienah laughed evilly and Ron just folded his arms waiting for a verdict.

"Hermione?" Ron asked her pleadingly.

"If you manage to wake Harry up."

Ron grinned and went over to Harry's ear and snarled "POTTER"

"Arghhh" Harry woke with a start.

Once Harry had managed to wake up and poke Ron into apologizing they got their cloaks from their dormitories and set off through the portrait hole, down through the empty castle and out through the oak front doors.

They made their way slowly down the lawn, making a shallow trench in the glittering, powdery snow, their socks and the hems of their cloaks soaked and freezing. The Forbidden Forest looked as though it had been enchanted, each tree smattered with silver, and Hagrid's cabin looked like an iced cake.

Ron knocked, but there was no answer.

"He's not out, is he?" said Hermione, who was shivering under her cloak.

Ron had his ear to the door.

"There's a weird noise," he said. "Listen - is that Fang?"

Harry and Hermione put their ears to the door too. From inside the cabin came a series of low, throbbing moans.

"Think we'd better go and get someone?" said Ron nervously.

"Hagrid!" called Harry, thumping the door. "Hagrid, are you in there?"

There was a sound of heavy footsteps, then the door creaked open. Hagrid stood there with his eyes red and swollen, tears splashing down the front of his leather vest.

"You've heard?" he bellowed, and he flung himself onto Gienah's neck.

Hagrid being at least twice the size of a normal man, this was no laughing matter. Gienah, about to collapse under Hagrid's weight, was rescued by Harry and Ron, who each seized Hagrid under an arm and heaved him back into the cabin. Hagrid allowed himself to be steered into a chair and slumped over the table, sobbing uncontrollably, his face glazed with tears that dripped down into his tangled beard.

"Hagrid, what is it?" said Hermione, aghast.

Gienah spotted an official-looking letter lying open on the table.

"What's this, Hagrid?"

Hagrid's sobs redoubled, but he shoved the letter toward Gienah, who picked it up and read aloud:

 _Dear Mr. Hagrid,_

 _Further to our inquiry into the attack by a Hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident._

"Well, that's okay then, Hagrid!" said Ron, clapping Hagrid on the shoulder. But Hagrid continued to sob, and waved one of his gigantic hands, inviting Gienah to read on.

 _However, we must register our concern about the Hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your Hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the Hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated._

 _Yours in fellowship …_

There followed a list of the school governors.

"Oh," said Ron. "But you said Buckbeak isn't a bad Hippogriff, Hagrid. I bet he'll get off."

"Yeh don' know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!" choked Hagrid, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "They've got it in fer interestin' creatures!"

A sudden sound from the corner of Hagrid's cabin made Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione whip around. Buckbeak the Hippogriff was lying in the corner, chomping on something that was oozing blood all over the floor.

"I couldn' leave him tied up out there in the snow!" choked Hagrid. "All on his own! At Christmas."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another. They had never seen eye to eye with Hagrid about what he called 'interesting creatures' and other people called 'terrifying monsters.' On the other hand, there didn't seem to be any particular harm in Buckbeak. In fact, by Hagrid's usual standards, he was positively cute.

Gienah was an exception.

"You'll have to put up a good strong defense, Hagrid," said Hermione, sitting down and laying a hand on Hagrid's massive forearm. "I'm sure you can prove Buckbeak is safe."

"Won' make no diff'rence!" sobbed Hagrid. "Them Disposal devils, they're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him! Ad if I lose the case, Buckbeak -"

Hagrid drew his finger swiftly across his throat, then gave a great wail and lurched forward, his face in his arms. Gienah gasped and ran forward to Buckbeak, holding the startled creature around the neck.

"Genna!" Ron yelled.

But the beast continued to tear away at his bloody meal.

"What about Dumbledore, Hagrid?" said Harry.

"He's done more'n enough fer me already," groaned Hagrid. "Got enough on his plate what with keepin' them Dementors outta the castle."

"Listen, Hagrid," he said, "you can't give up. Hermione's right, You just need a good defense. You can call us as witnesses -"

"I'm sure I've read about a case of Hippogriff-baiting," said Hermione thoughtfully, "where the Hippogriff got off. I'll look it up for you, Hagrid, and see exactly what happened."

Hagrid howled still more loudly. Harry and Hermione looked at Ron to help them.

"Er - shall I make a cup of tea?" said Ron.

Harry stared at him.

"It's what my mum does whenever someone's upset," Ron muttered, shrugging.

At last, after many more assurances of help, with a steaming mug of tea in front of him, Hagrid blew his nose on a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth and said, "Yer right. I can' afford to go ter pieces. Gotta pull meself together..."

Fang the boarhound came timidly out from under the table and laid his head on Hagrid's knee.

"I've not bin meself lately," said Hagrid, stroking Fang with one hand and mopping his face with the other. "Worried abou' Buckbeak, an' no one likin' me classes -"

"We do like them!" lied Hermione at once.

"Yeah, they're great!" said Ron, crossing his fingers under the table. "Er - how are the flobberworms?"

"Dead," said Hagrid gloomily. "Too much lettuce."

"Oh no!" said Ron, his lip twitching.

They went to the library the next day and returned to the empty common room laden with books that might help prepare a defense for Buckbeak. The three of them sat in front of the roaring fire, slowly turning the pages of dusty volumes about famous cases of marauding beasts, speaking occasionally when they ran across something relevant.

"Here's something...there was a case in 1722...but the Hippogriff was convicted - ugh, look what they did to it, that's disgusting -"

"This might help, look - a Manticore savaged someone in 1296, and they let the Manticore off - oh - no, that was only because everyone was too scared to go near it..."

Meanwhile, in the rest of the castle, the usual magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, despite the fact that hardly any of the students remained to enjoy them. Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with its usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors.

On Christmas day Gienah awoke to the smell of gingerbread and, strangely enough, spiced rum. Mouth watering she woke up and found Hermes pecking at a parcel intended for her. She laughed as she grabbed it from him and took a bite of warm gingerbread. A charm must have been placed on it to taste as if they had just come fresh out of the oven. She opened the note.

 _Dear Jena,_

 _Merry Christmas! I baked you gingerbread cookies and mummy said she would magic them warm with a stasis charm. I'm sad you aren't with us for Christmas but Uncle Sirius says I shouldn't even be baking you cookies because it was your decision to stay at Hogwarts. Can you believe him? I didn't believe him. He's acting like a big baby now because I'm sending all of the cookies to you and he can't wait for a second batch. Mummy said Uncle may look like a fully grown man but really all men are babies carrying wands too big for them. Then Uncle started to say something about his wand but mummy stuffed a cookie in his mouth. Grown ups are weird._

 _Love,_

 _Lyra_

Gienah giggled as she walked down the spiralling steps, letter in one hand, the tin of cookies in another. She had just sat down when she was attacked by Ron and Harry.

There was an impressive number of presents by the Christmas tree. Hermione had made them wait while Gienah had woken up so they spent an hour on Wizarding Chess, but now they teared away happily.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _I hope you're having a lousy christmas,_

 _Your father_

Gienah opened the package that came with the rather childish note. Any annoyance towards her more immature father drained away as she stared at a jewelled scabbard. Unsheathing the dagger she faintly touched the tip and a drop of blood fell from her finger.

 _Found this in the vault, I think it belonged to your great grandmother._

Gienah held the handle and slashed her arm right and left. She stood up and drew the blade in half-circles.

"What you got-arghhhh" Ron was staring at the dagger's tip in between his eyes, seconds from plunging into his brain.

"Sorry!" Gienah placed the dagger back the scabbard. "Christmas present."

"You're kidding?" Ron said warily as he held his hand out for the ornament.

"Sirius gave me a pair of gold binoculars." Harry looked through them and froze. "I can see through walls!"

"Talk about skimping on gifts" Gienah tutted.

The holidays passed slowly at Hogwarts, both girls spent large amounts of time studying. Gienah was eager to finish her homework so she could seek Snape out and make good on his promise. One evening Gienah shut her book and walked over to the window with longing. She hadn't stretched her wings in days and days. She felt the nagual call inside of her. She was growing restless. Unintentionally she'd find her nails lengthen and her fingers web, but she was obsessed. She placed a hand on the cold glass and sighed at the glorious skies, low in the Scottish highlands, then at the inviting forest humming with its magic.

"Go." She heard Hermione from behind her. "You aren't the girl who looks wistfully on from a distance."

Gienah turned and looked at Hermione. The first girl she'd met on the very first day of school. Her bushy haired, toothy best friend was beginning to lose the traces of childhood. Her golden honey coloured eyes were beginning to show a wisdom beyond her age.

Gienah grinned at Hermione suddenly as she opened the window wide open. Hermione narrowed her eyes for a brief second before Gienna hugged her from the front and fell down, down to the frosted grounds.

"GIENAAAAH!" Hermione put her arms around Gienah's neck, shutting her eyes as they were about to hit the ground but the waiting collision never happened as she felt her fingers no longer touching skin and hair but scales. Opening her eyes she almost fainted. She was flying. She was flying on the back of her best friend who was now a thestral. They were flying smoothly across the forbidden forest, dangerously close the canopy. Gienah made a crying call and out of the trees came half a dozen thestrals of varying sizes joining her in her flight. Hermione now had one eye open and breathed steadily as she continued at one speed leaving Hogwarts far behind. They crossed the North Sea at some point and she dipped so low Hermione skimmed her fingers on the surface screaming as she did so. Gienah arched and twisted and at one point plunged into the icy sea, half submerged in water Hermione stood on her back and stretched her hands out and pretended she was standing on water. Hermione relished gulping the cold salty air and the wind in her wild hair. Before Hermione began shivering they gained height and flew back to Hogwarts, Hermione stroking the reptilian skin of the thestral and feeling more at one with her best friend.

Classes started again the next day. The last thing anyone felt like doing was spending two hours on the grounds on a raw January morning, but Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs.

The week passed without incident with Gienah reading books from the restricted section at the back of class instead of sleeping.

"Ms. Black" McGonagall suddenly called her name in the middle of a lecture on some law of transfiguration.

"Yes professor?" She asked sweetly, closing the book in front of her and looking at the black board.

"Do explain to the class the common pitfalls of performing the Lapifors spell?"

"The size and nature of the object impacts on the difficulty of the transformation, too small or too large and without enough focus on the entirety of the animal may end in a oversized rabbit or a half-transformation which can be painful if transfiguring a living creature or even cause death. Secondly the successful Lapifors spell results not only in a rabbit, but a rabbit which can be puppeteered inherently mimicking the Piertotum Locomotor spell which truly makes this spell accomplished. The success is dependent on a grasp on a difficult branch of magic, that being will, in the extreme a proficient caster of such spells should be so proficient in casting the imperius curse." Gienah finished and had already returned to a fascinating chapter on the nature of dark artefacts.

"Yes, five points to Gryffindor" The professor said weakly mentally berating herself for thinking she could catch her out. The rest of the class looked back at the girl who'd returned to her independent study with a look of confusion, expecting to see Hermione, not Gienah. She hated speaking in class. She never knew exactly why, perhaps because it felt less like a discussion and more of crude summary of an answer that often had so much more to it.

Ravenclaw played Slytherin a week after the start of term. Slytherin won, though narrowly. According to Wood, this was good news for Gryffindor, who would take second place if they beat Ravenclaw too. He therefore increased the number of team practices to five a week. Even so, she was not showing the strain nearly as much as Hermione, whose immense workload finally seemed to be getting to her. Every night, without fail, Hermione was to be seen in a corner of the common room, several tables spread with books, Arithmancy charts, rune dictionaries, diagrams of Muggles lifting heavy objects, and file upon file of extensive notes; she barely spoke to anybody and snapped when she was interrupted.

"How's she doing it?" Ron muttered to Harry and Gienah one evening as Harry sat finishing a nasty essay on Undetectable Poisons for Snape. They looked up. Hermione was barely visible behind a tottering pile of books.

"Doing what?"

"Getting to all her classes!" Ron said. "I heard her talking to Professor Vector, that Arithmancy witch, this morning. They were going on about yesterday's lesson, but Hermione can't've been there, because she was with us in Care of Magical Creatures! And Ernie McMillan told me she's never missed a Muggle Studies class, but half of them are at the same time as Divination, and she's never missed one of them either!"

Gienah didn't have time to fathom the mystery of Hermione's impossible schedule at the moment but she had wondered a few times the term before and decided to respect the witch's silence on the subject.

"Can I sit down, then?" Harry asked Hermione.

"I suppose so," said Hermione, moving a great stack of parchment off a chair.

Harry looked around at the cluttered table, at the long Arithmancy essay on which the ink was still glistening, at the even longer Muggle Studies essay ('Explain Why Muggles Need Electricity') and at the rune translation Hermione was now poring over.

"How are you getting through all this stuff?" Harry asked her.

"Oh, well - you know - working hard," said Hermione. Close-up, Harry could see the dark rings under her eyes.

"Why don't you just drop a couple of subjects?" Harry asked, watching her lifting books as she searched for her rune dictionary.

"I couldn't do that!" said Hermione, looking scandalized.

"Arithmancy looks terrible," said Harry, picking up a very complicated-looking number chart.

"Oh no, it's wonderful!" said Hermione earnestly. "It's my favorite subject! It's -it's-everything Divination tries to be"

Gienah sighed.

"I hate to say it Hermione but as much faith I have in you, you're fighting an unnecessary battle." Gienah came to sit beside the witch, perching on a pile of books. "You should study because you enjoy the subject, not because you want the most number of OWL's."

"Did you hear that Harry?" Ron grinned. "You should only study because you enjoy the subject, guess I'm dropping potions."

Gienah and Hermione both rolled their eyes.

"But you're getting through all yours and doing independent study with Professor Snape!"

"Really, this is about me and you? Again?" Gienah groaned. "I thought we got over that when we tied last year?"

Hermione looked a little guilty.

"Look Mione, we're both intelligent but who can say who's more intelligent than the other? You beat me hands down in charms and I beat you in transfiguration. I know more of medieval history and you modern. I'm a natural in Care of Magical Creatures and you in Ancient Runes. Does it really matter?"

"Yes." Hermione said quietly. "It does matter."

And she left her books and walked out of the common room. Ron and Harry shook their heads and muttered something like women.

A.N. Please tell me you love the way I've written Snape. If these characters were real, he'd be mine. Which is why he will be forever single in this fanfic.


	23. The Man Behind the Wolf

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Man Behind the Wolf

Remus Lupin woke up with a groan. He was nursing a large bump on his head and he had slept on the floor. Yawning he stretched but felt his foot poke something squishy. He slowly lifted his sore head and saw that he was on an extremely filthy floor and by his feet was a Mundungus Fletcher snoring so loudly he wondered how he'd only managed to wake a few seconds ago. He pulled himself up and saw he was in a warehouse that looked as if it'd been taken over by wizarding squatters. There was a lingering smell of firewhiskey and tobacco. Then out of nowhere he smelt bacon and coffee. Lupin's mouth watered as he searched for his wand and found it some feet away from him. What had happened?

"Morning sleepyhead." Came a sing song voice from across the large room. Lupin stood up and blearily looked and saw Mary Jane standing over a stove, turning the delicious smelling bacon. "Is sleepy head's mouth watering?"

Mary Jane laughed. For the first time it wasn't a cackle of sorts.

"If sleepyhead asks nicely, he can have breakfast with Mary Jane." Mary Jane continued as she summoned two plates and two mugs.

Lupin didn't know why but he nodded frantically and walked to her.

"There's a good boy!" Mary Jane ruffled his hair with the same babying voice.

A few minutes later they were sitting on the floor with a spread of bacon, eggs, sausages, mushrooms and toast, a flask of pumpkin juice and a pot of gorgeous smelling coffee.

"What happened last night?" Lupin finally said.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Mary Jane said with a glint in her eye.

"I would actually." Lupin said a little worried. He may have let something slip.

"You put on quite a" Mary Jane searched for the right word "performance".

"Dear Merlin." Lupin said with his face in his hands.

He looked up and saw Mary Jane waiting for something. Lupin looked at her blankly.

"Do go on." Mary Jane said.

Lupin continued to look blank.

"Dear Merlin…" Mary Jane said, gesturing with her hand.

"It's- it's just an expression Mary Jane" Lupin said looking at her strangely.

"Hmph" Mary Jane sniffed.

"Where are we?" Lupin asked.

"My humble abode." Mary Jane said with a grin. "You like?"

Lupin mumbled something and her eyes flashed.

"I don't need your approval" She snapped with a huff.

"It's a roof over your head." Lupin said with a smile. "Actually it reminds of a place I lived a long time ago."

"I used to live like a queen" Mary Jane said wistfully as if from a dream.

"What happened?" Lupin asked.

"The little girl felt she got too big for her little kingdom and ran away." Mary Jane almost sang, gently rocking with her steaming mug of coffee in between her hands. "And then she fell in love with a monster and piece by piece she lost her whole world."

There were silent for a while.

"I've never fallen in love." Lupin said quietly. "I always felt like it's something one should do, to become fully human."

Mary Jane laughed bitterly.

"It leaves you cold." Mary Jane said before pausing as she thought. "It leaves you empty and dark and cold."

"Do you still love him?"

"No." She said quietly. "He could never love me and he could never give me what I most desire."

The last few words were said without her usual song, Lupin felt himself draw closer to her.

"What do you most desire?"

"To have my very own little girl" She said with a sad smile.

"You still can, maybe…" Lupin said, wanting to have hope with her but he wondered how old she really was.

"Yes." Mary Jane said now lost in her own world. "Yes, perhaps."

After breakfast though it was noon he bid her goodbye though he wasn't sure if she heard it and apparated back to Knockturn Alley. It was crowded, unusual for this time when she saw a familiar shade of red hair walking into Borgin and Burkes. Lupin cast a disillusionment charm on himself and hesitantly followed when another customer left.

The woman was wearing a hood pulled over her eyes, not unusual in these parts and discussing something with Mr. Borgin, the shop owner Lupin had business with more times than he'd like to admit in the last three months. Lupin edged closer.

"...you are considered with high regard, sir, everywhere I go you are told to be the authority regarding - these matters -"

"Miss, I know not of your sources, only that they are mistaken." Burke said politely.

"I see" the woman said coldly.

Borgin bowed his greasy head before walking away.

"Imperio" the woman hissed.

Lupin's eyes widened. The woman then pointed her wand to the door and locked it, pulling at the curtains and forcing Borgin to walk back to her.

"Legilimens" the woman whispered softly.

Borgin's eyes seemed to become wider as she pillaged his mind. Lupin felt his legs grow numb when she finally retreated and send him into a light sleep.

The woman turned and Lupin blinked. She was a girl of perhaps sixteen with black hair, black eyes and alabaster skin. She looked achingly familiar. Lupin tried to think where but it was as if someone had oblivated a person from his mind. There was no way of finding out what she had sought. Not without performing legilimency himself and he was reluctant to use that spell without necessity. With a sigh he watched the mysterious girl leave. As the door closed shut Borgin was gaining consciousness. Lupin quickly left, limping a little with pins and needles.

Lupin nodded at Lulu as he walked into the Gobbler and was handed his post, filled with the face of the young girl. He was convinced a girl had walked in with dark red hair. He shut his door with a slam and groaned again. Looking in the mirror he cast a healing charm on his head and the bump swelled down and he was left with a nasty looking green bruise. Summoning his healing kit he spread a thin paste of anti-bruising solution over the garish skin. He then sat at the flea ridden arm chair and opened his letters.

 _Dear Remus,_

 _I hope your research is going well, we are a little lost here without you and hope you may return after Christmas. Following your advice we have hired another two staff members. A squib Olaf Umbridge (Yes the very brother of Dolores!) and Molly Weasley. Olaf is a wonderful teacher who has a muggle university degree in Sociology. The most delightful man! And Molly's a natural of course. The children both adore her and are terrified by her._

 _Attached is the accounts for the half-term. We've received a few donations from a charitable man under the name of Lee Harper. I had dinner at the Weasley's last weekend and you wouldn't believe what Arthur said! Apparently Lee Harper is a new trader in Knockturn Alley but they have found it nearly impossible to charge him with anything illegal. I can't believe it to be our same Lee Harper… Imagine if it were!_

 _Andromeda has really taken the role of headmistress like a thestral to the skies._

 _Best regards,_

 _Catherine_

Lupin chuckled. Catherine Creevey was a terrible gossip. The next three were from customers. The last one made him sit up. It was another trader who sold werewolf blood and was a regular supplier to the leads he found from Gordon Twittlebee.

 _Mr. Harper,_

 _I have been hearing things of your recent good fortune in trading and wonder why a man so well acquainted would wish to purchase my services at a cost greater than your market value. You may wish to ascertain your competition and I cannot pretend I do not wish the same._

 _I will come to you,_

 _C.C._

Lupin smiled widely. Finally, he was getting somewhere.

The next two weeks Lupin grew agitated, with not much to do but wait for C.C. to approach him. He went to his fair share of black markets. A real eye-opener to Dung's everyday life. Dung was fast becoming a good friend and he found himself mourning his friendship some days, knowing he'd be leaving Dung and Mary Jane behind once his mission was done. He began gaining intel on the ludicrously wealthy Fitzwilliam Rosier. The man made his fortune in the muggle world, the hypocrisy of his commitment to Voldemort and his own success based on muggle technology made Nott his next target. Lupin followed Rosier to his offices and gentleman clubs, tested his wards which he found to be Goblin regulated. Lupin approached a good friend of his from all those years ago, Dwalin, an ex-employee from gringotts. Dwalin never did say why he left, what was more likely was that he was discharged but goblins were proud creatures and he never asked.

"Good fortunes Dwalin" Lupin bowed his head humbly to the elderly goblin.

"And to you too Remus, son of Lyall" The goblin bowed and hobbled out of the Gobbler.

"Consorting with goblins my pretty?" Mary Jane came to join him at his table.

"An old friend of mine." Lupin said.

"And why was was he calling my darling Harper Remus, son of Lyall?" Mary Jane said with a too wide smile.

Lupin drew his wand but she already had hers twirling in her fingertips with such skill Lupin hesitated.

"Perhapss." Mary Jane said in a bare whisper, into his ear, almost seductively that he shivered. "We should discuss this further in your quarters."

Lupin nodded stiffly and led her upstairs.

"So you are the werewolf." Mary Jane said, lying on his bed once he let her in. Her hands behind her head and her legs crossed.

"Yes." Lupin said tersely.

"Oh my pretty, pretty boy." Mary Jane jumped up from his bed and stook frightfully near to him. "I won't tell anyone your secret if you don't tell them mine."

"What secret?" Lupin asked quietly.

"Soon, my love. Very soon." She sang softly.

Lupin conjured two glasses and took a bottle of elf mead from his drawer.

"You raised the daughter of Sirius Black." She said.

"I did." He said quietly.

"What is her name?" She asked.

"Gienah Elladora Black" Lupin said with a small smile.

"I want to name my daughter Elladora." Mary Jane said, her eyes twinkling.

"It is a beautiful name."

"You are who they call the Silver Wolf" Mary Jane said.

Lupin blinked.

"How many times, love, you can trust me." Mary Jane said with a sad smile. "I know I trus you even though I shouldn't. You will hate me soon enough."

"I don't think anyone can hate you." Lupin said with surprise.

"No?" Mary Jane said, moving closer to him. "What if I told you I have murdered so many I lost count?"

"I'd say… I mourn for your soul and hope you find peace."

Mary Jane gasped.

"You deserve your happy ending Mary Jane, if that really is your true name." Lupin continued. "I have been persecuted enough to know there is more to the bad wolf behind the amber eye."

Lupin stood overlooking the moors in the breaking dawn with a settled peace in his heart. Turning he was looking at a medieval manor called Oakland Hall. It was the most impressive estate he'd set eyes on so far. The Rosier's were pure blooded royalty. The wizarding world were awaiting the old man's death seeing as he had no direct heir, it was sure to set sparks flying in the pureblood families.

"As beautiful as I remember", Mary Jane said softly beside him.

Mary Jane had managed to convince him she could be of aid in his next heist in exchange of some well needed gold. Lupin offered the gold freely but she went on for half an hour about pride and honour. Lupin retorted where was the honour in killing and she refused to talk to him for a day.

"You're going to go in there as he sleeps?"

"I have a reputation" Lupin said wryly.

The aurors were yet to detect the strong sleeping potions he'd spike in the plumbing in the evening before his planned attack.

There was a crack beside them and Dwalin appeared.

"Good morrow Remus" Dwalin said in his gravelly tone. "Shall we begin?"

"After you, good friend." Remus smiled.

Dwalin put down the small trunk he'd brought with him and began taking out large slabs of stone Lupin recognized as Hornfels, a highly sensitive rock that absorbed magic like a sponge. Mary Jane took one and disapparated to the other end of the boundary to place the stone. Lupin took another and placed it on the second corner. Dwalin placed the other two. Mary Jane and Lupin watched as he began speaking in gobbledegook. The harsh, rasping sounds sounding oddly musical in the orange light. They saw a flash of magic and felt a pulse radiate from the four rocks, enveloping the entire estate.

"That will negate the goblin wards. May gold pave your path." Dwalin bowed and disappeared without another word.

"How can you trust him?" Mary Jane said with narrowed eyes.

"I would trust Dwalin with Gienah's life." Lupin said as he walked down the slight hill they were on. "Wear this."

Lupin threw at her a clear amulet.

"What's this?"

"Portkey. It also wards you from the minor protection hexes."

"Like?"

"Relashio, incendio.." Lupin said as he waved his wand over the entrance of the courtyard. He disillusioned himself and then her, feeling the familiar trickle, he walked on.

"Ha!" Mary Jane laughed.

The troll guards were sleeping at the doorway, drool falling from their mouths. Lupin stunned them for good measure.

"Won't they trace your signature?" Mary Jane asked.

"Stole this, last night." Lupin said shortly. "You ask a lot of questions."

"How else does one learn" Mary Jane sniffed, but said no more.

They easily walked through the door and into the entrance hall large enough to be a ball room. Lupin threw her a bag.

"Detect and disable everything before you put them in. Though the bag is charmed it doesn't counter all magic."

Mary Jane nodded and walked towards the paintings. Lupin went downstairs. He would be raiding the safe. Being paranoid, and rightly too, the safe was in the cellar and almost unplottable. Lupin had become an expert in sensing magical residue and knew that much magic from the wine cellar was out of the ordinary. He tapped on the floor, pointed his wand at the ceiling, the walls but nothing. Almost half an hour had passed and Mary Jane came downstairs, with the bag looking as empty as he had given it to her. But of course there was an extension charm in it.

"Where is it?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out" Lupin said with frustration.

"Tetchy" Mary Jane teased him as she began walking through the vast cellar with rows and rows of wine bottles and then a well kept pantry.

"Aha!" Mary Jane said from somewhere below. Lupin followed her and found himself falling into a tomb.

"What in Merlin's name…" Lupin said as he stood up and saw he was in a dungeon.

"What did you do?!" Lupin panicked.

"It's fine." Mary Jane said.

Lupin looked up and only saw a stone ceiling. From every side was an arch way with lit torches on either side.

"I should had known he'd have something like this." Lupin chided himself.

"Aw the ickle werewolf is scwared." Mary Jane laughed, her cackle echoing in the underground from all four passages.

Mary Jane twirled her wand and released it in her palm. It pointed to the passage on their left.

"What was that?"

"A spell detecting dark magic." Mary Jane said already passing through the archway. Lupin groaned and quickly followed her, wondering if it might had been easier to obliviate her. Looking at her stalk fearlessly into the darkness he wondered no longer. He would have been victim unknown plus one.

They both lit their wands and walked through the damp passage. They came to a solid wall.

Lupin sighed and began to turn when Mary Jane started chanting in an old tongue. Her wand tip was pressed to the wall and slowly the stone wall began to sink into the ground. Lupin and Mary Jane stared. Lupin's jaw dropped and Mary Jane almost dropped her wand. Before them was a room as big as the Great Hall and every inch of it was covered in gold, jewels, paintings, crockery, fine robes and treasure chest and trunks.

"All of it?" Mary Jane said weakly.

Lupin nodded with a feral grin.

However it turned out the extension charm did have a limit when they tried to put in the seventh treasure chest but they were content with half the contents of the underground vault split between their two bags.

The next day on Christmas Eve Sirius Black walked into Gringotts whistling a merry tune, bowing to the goblin Bogrod, the handler of the Black accounts.

"Good morrow." Sirius bowed deeply.

Bogrod bowed in return passed Sirius a bank statement for his personal account and his two business accounts and did a double take.

"Bogrod my man- goblin, - goblin -man" Sirius shook his head. "You've added a few too many zeroes."

"There was an anonymous donation an hour ago to deposit one million galleons to every Black account. There is another million in your daughter's account and another million in the family vault." Bogrod said boredly.

Sirius walked away in a daze.

"Oh he's a jolly good warlock, oh he's a jolly good warlock" The whole bar was shouting while Lupin and Dung danced and stamped on the table, linking arms and swinging with a beer glass in each hand. "Oh he's a jolly good waarlock…. So say all of us!"

"Off the table boys, off the table!" Lulu said with a grin, hitting them with her dirty cloth round their ankles.

Lupin had brought the whole bar a round and was happily wasted on Christmas Eve. The bar emptied around two in the morning and Dung ended up sleeping on the bar. Lulu let him off the one time, tearing up saying "Might as well eh, it is Christmas and Merlin knows he and his drinkin' mates keep this inn afloat".

Lupin managed to climb the stairs and collapse into his bed. But as soon as he closed his eyes there was a knock on the door.

"Merry Christmas!" He yelled, laughing uproariously.

"Remus I must say" A rich musical voice said from the door. "I rather like you drunk."

"I rather like me drunk too" Remus said with his eyes still shut. He felt his thin mattress sink a little with additional weight.

"Darling, don't sleep." The woman purred. "I can't have fun by myself now can I?"

Lupin tried to swat the familiar voice away. He then felt something gently pressing his thigh and a weight above his pelvis. Lupin smiled, his eyes still closed. He reached his arms forward and felt naked, smooth skin.

"Well done baby" she cooed. "I'm yours to do as you please."

Lupin slowly opened his eyes. It was dark to see who it was.

"Mary Jane?" He asked weakly.

"Shhh" she said gently. "Questions later."

And she took his hands and skimmed them down the sides of her breast, her stomach and then her hips and thighs. She then took a finger and placed it against a hard nub. Lupin growled.

The woman laughed and leaned on top of him so he felt her chest against his. Lupin suddenly felt wide awake as he clumsily wrapped his arm around her and dragged her beneath him. Straddling her hips he discarded of his clothes with his wand and threw it to the side. He then brought his lips to hers. Trying to see what she looked like through touch. Her lips were fat and soft. Her hair thick and long. He put his hands in her hair as he pressed his hard length against her furry mound. Revelling at the feel of her glossy hair against his sensitive member.

"Remus" she murmured. "Merlin, I haven't had sex in years."

"Nor I" he confessed, now leaning on his side, kissing her breasts, suckling her tender nipples. His finger rubbed her little nub and stroked her lips.

"So gentle for a ravaging werewolf" she laughed, a wonderful sound from her throat. Deep and vibrating.

Lupin bit her nipple and plunged his fingers inside of her before lifting his whole arm up so her hips pushed forward against the welcome intruder.

"Who are you?" Lupin whispered as he pushed another finger inside her wet hole.

"If you wanted to know, you wouldn't have asked." She said with a moan as he began working at her sensitive nub whilst two other fingers worked inside her.

"Why would you willingly seduce a werewolf?" He said gruffly.

"Perhaps I'm a masochist. Or perhaps I've learn to see behind the werewolf and the amber eyes." The woman murmured, lightly kissing him.

"I could hurt you." Lupin said a little concerned but also mainly thrilled.

"Do it." She said. "I deserve it."

"So do I" Lupin said quietly.

She bit into his lips so hard she drew blood. Her hands scratched her back with her sharp nails and Lupin shuddered with pleasure. He retrieved his fingers and shoved them into her mouth. She sucked willingly. Lupin felt his cock twitch at the sounds she made against his fingers. Her sucking went straight to his crotch and so he placed himself above her and pulled her legs up and on either side of his head, resting on his naturally muscular shoulders as he moved forward without warning.

"Salazar" She hissed with pleasure.

"Merlin, you're - so -fuck- ing- tight" Lupin grunted as he moved his cock inside her. He thought he was going to explode with the pressure as his balls finally rested against her. She bit her lips and held the bed post. Slowly he came out and he felt loss at being free and slammed back into her.

"FUCK" she screamed.

Lupin chuckled.

"Do you like that?" He murmured as he came out and slammed into her once more.

"Fuck yes." She hissed.

The head of his cock was hitting her cervix hard and fast. He increased the tempo as she moaned and screamed and pinched her breasts. Lupin placed a finger on her clit and gently moved the little digit in circled as he moved inside of her. He could smell her musky and aroused scent and it made his mouth water.

"Remus" she begged him. He moved his hand more deliberately and pushed himself up inside her as far as possible before coming back out. Three, two, one, she screamed. He felt her spasm beneath her and her legs twitch on his shoulders. A sudden wetness engulfed him and his head dragged across a sensitive spot making him ejaculate a second later. He kept moving until all of him was spent inside of her. She was groaning so seductively he sank his nails in her backside and bit her thigh. He came out of her and rested her legs and heard her heart pace and her body shudder every now and then. He leaned down at licked her, shoving his tongue into her stretched hole, she lifted her hips higher and he flicked his tongue into her untouched hole.

Suddenly he felt hard again and turned her around and slapped her hard. The sound of sex and skin on skin was making his cock twitch and he lubricated the tight hole with both their cum and slipped a finger inside. She loosened once it was fully in.

"You're going to fuck me Remus?" She asked breathily, sounding a little fearful.

He guessed it was as new to her as it was to him. He couldn't really articulate what was so arousing about putting his dick in that hot, tight hole but it felt forbidden. He lined his cock against the opening and only rubbed it at first.

"I'm going to take you in your arse." Lupin growled.

"Fucking take me" she demanded.

He spanked her once more.

"I thought you said you were mine." Lupin warned her and felt her quiver at his words.

He spanked her again. She screamed. He stroked her smarting bottom and put his mouth in her tight hole then guided the head of his cock in. She breathed through the pain as the entirety of his cock was inside and Lupin thought he'd die from pleasure.

"Oy! Have the courtesy to put a silencing charm up Harper!"

The next morning Lupin roused from his post-coital bliss. He had his arms round a woman whose dark head rested by the crook of his neck, breathing deeply. He stroked her black hair and then her pale arms.

"Mary Jane?" He said doubtfully, now tempted to hit his head with his palm.

"Hmm" She answered. She lifted her mass of curls from her face and said "Morning lover".

Lupin shrieked like a girl.

"Hmph" Bellatrix yawned. "We need to work on your bedside manners."

Lupin couldn't speak.

"No words necessary love", she said with a sleepy smile, positioning herself on top of his crotch and pushing herself down against his stiff cock.

"You raped me." Lupin tried to lift her off of him but she bit him.

"Now I told you, your secret was safe with mine" Bellatrix warned him with a flash of the eyes. "I need to make sure. We best try again this evening and tomorrow."

She looked a little bored as she bounced up and down on him. She was fucking beautiful. Long dark curly hair, black eyes and pale creamy skin. Her breasts were perky and more cone shaped than round. Her stomach was a little rounded, not flat, and the glossy black triangular patch of curls was strikingly sensual against her pale skin.

"You look like you might ravish me mister wolf" Bellatrix laughed, watching him watch her. "It's not as much fun doing it alone."

Lupin just stared, his head pounding from the hangover.

Bellatrix began to drag her nails down his stomach to elicit a response. He breathed a little more heavily. She then looked at him intensely, one hand on her breast and the other on her clitoris and started rubbing, pinching, moaning.

"Remus" she murmured.

He couldn't stop himself. He came so quickly it was over before it really started. She stayed there for a minute then left the bed and started dressing in her white robes.

"You helped me rob a death eater." He blurted.

"That I did" She said proudly. "Let's go house hunting darling. We can talk and hunt."

Lupin was a wreck. He liked Mary Jane, and had forgiven her for her past. But Bellatrix Black was not a blank face. She was a wanted fugitive. She tortured two aurors into insanity and murdered fifty and counting. But he needed answers… Or maybe he wanted her to tell him she wasn't what the world believed her to be.

A.N. I know there's like a THOUSAND errors its cringing but I don't want to read them back till later so I can return with fresh eyes and really jigg the whole thing up. I promise, it'll be worth waiting for. I'll make you a promise, by the end of fifth year I'll return and re-edit from the top. Spellings, plot lines, everything. In the meantime. I didn't want to make romance at the forefront of these first years. Cedric really is just a rather pretty distraction. I know the rating just soared up so I'll come back and tone it down later, but thanks :) valid criticism. Yes! (re. Lupin, restaurant/school as it didn't make sense to lose his teaching skills since he wasn't a professor in my story) I changed it later and only edited offline. Small errors like Norbert is sloppiness at this stage. (Such as Ambrogio) I love these comments, they see what I lose in the flow of the greater plot!

Feel like I ought to say thank you for your continued support TheOriginalQueensOfWriting. I have no one drafting for me right now so you are literally my first response 3


	24. A Fading Winter

Chapter Twenty-Seven: **A Fading Winter**

Hermione began to isolate herself from Gienah, Harry and Ron, driving herself further and further into her studies. Gienah missed Hermione dragging her to breakfast in the morning and pestering her to read her essays and their debates in History of Magic. On the plus side she ended up spending more time with Ginny and Luna when she'd had enough of the boys.

"So I leaned up against the wall and asked him ' _Is there anything I can do for you Michael?_ '" Ginny said in a sultry voice.

Ginny Weasley with her long limbs, porcelain skin and russet coloured hair was beginning to gain attention from the boys at Hogwarts. Gienah was, to a degree, glad the attention had boosted her popularity among the second year and the quiet, shy girl was a thing in the past. On the other hand, she worried she'd become boy obsessed like her unfortunate roommates. Ironically Luna seemed to keep her grounded so she welcomed the change.

Luna rocked on the floor with laughter and said between giggling "And he just stared at her, red, and spluttered nonsense."

"You wicked man eater." Gienah said with a grin.

"He shouldn't have been looking up my skirt" Gienah sniffed flicking her long red hair over her shoulder.

"Ginevra, you want him to look" Luna said with a smile now doing a handstand. "Why else would you charm inches from your skirt?"

Ginny blushed as Gienah returned to her essay, not missing a beat by saying "Not exactly a secret babe."

They were in the second year girls dormitory for a bit of peace from the common room where the twins were wreaking havoc and Lavender was holding an intervention for Eloise Midgen in her dormitory. Ginny was flicking through Witch Weekly, Luna was doing yoga and Gienah was finishing her essay for Charms.

"Ooh it's your dad Gen", Ginny squeaked. "Our bachelor of the year goes to Lord Sirius Black, our hunky single parent with an estimated fortune of two hundred million-"

Ginny dropped the magazine and stared at Gienah.

"Two hundred MILLION?" Ginny said wide eyed.

"Malfoys are worth about six" Gienah pointed out.

"But he _acts_ like he's worth every knut" Ginny said with exasperation. "Look at the state of you!"

Gienah put down her essay and frowned, looking down at her favourite jeans and sweatshirt.

"Ginny." Luna reprimanded her, now in a downward facing dog.

"You know what I mean" Ginny said quickly. "He can't have all that from the safari"

"Course not" said Gienah. "It's all tied down in property and paintings and hereditary bonds. But he keeps a separate vault for personal and business use and gives thousands away for charity from the family vault every year. And I don't act like a brat because I grew up poor. I didn't have access to the vaults before he was freed from Azkaban."

"If I had a million galleons" Ginny said wistfully.

As the match was nearing Gienah began studying into the early hours of the morning once again. Snape was giving her additional work in potions as well as regulating her reading list for the dark arts. She was getting through a book a weak and most weeks he expected an assignment or would slip her a nasty pop quiz in the middle of class to do right there and then. Gienah was becoming well versed in the history of the dark arts and the debate concerning the distinction between dark and light magic. Sometimes when Snape was feeling generous he would give her a detention for the sake of appearances and give her a lecture one to one.

On the last night the Gryffindor team gathered around Wood for his final instructions for tomorrow's match.

"Gienah, I've just found out who Ravenclaw is playing as Seeker. It's Cho Chang. She's a fourth year, and she's pretty good...I really hoped she wouldn't be fit, she's had some problems with injuries..." Wood scowled his displeasure that Cho Chang had made a full recovery, then said, "On the other hand, she rides a Comet Two Sixty, which is going to look like a joke next to the Firebolt."

It was the best practice ever; the team performed their best moves faultlessly, and by the time they hit the ground again, Wood didn't have a single criticism to make, which, as George Weasley pointed out, was a first.

"I can't see what's going to stop us tomorrow!" said Wood.

The next morning at breakfast Gienah felt her stomach turn. Poking her porridge she looked out at the clear sky feeling a little more reassured.

"Eat" Hermione ordered her and shoved an apple in her mouth with a flick of her wand whilst reading the newspaper.

"I don't want tooo." Gienah whined with a smile.

"You need your appetite" Hermione, Ron and Harry said at once before Ron and Harry began snickering.

"I need to win." Gienah said looking at her surprised friend look up at them all.

"You won't win if you end up fainting and falling off your broom" Ron said.

"Now, eat" Harry finished and the three of them laughed.

"It's the same lines you've been using since first year. It varies sometime." Harry said.

"Are you talking to us now?" Ron whined.

"Are you telling me you miss me Ronald?" Hermione smiled. "And who said I wasn't talking to you?"

"I might have missed copying off of you I won't lie." said Ron with a straight face. "And by the lack of words with the exception of 'pass me the stink sap'"

"And 'you're cutting the roots all wrong'" added Harry.

"And 'I have a letter for you'" said Gienah.

"I didn't mean to." Hermione squirmed. "I was angry you didn't understand and weren't supporting you."

"We support you plenty!" Ron said. "We always tell you how smart you are, how clever, and how we could never write notes like yours and-"

"When you're not trying to flatter into giving you my History of Magic notes." Hermione accused him with narrowed eyes.

"Shut up you prat" Gienah said to Ron. "If you want to continue Divination I won't say a word."

"Thanks" Hermione said shyly.

Percy came over with his girlfriend Penelope Clearwater.

"Penelope and I have got a bet on," he told the team. "Ten Galleons on the outcome of the match!"

Penelope smiled at them all, kissed Percy and left for her table before the twins began making loud smooching sounds at Percy. He scowled at them before turning to Gienah.

"Gienah - make sure you win," said Percy, in an urgent whisper. "I haven't got ten Galleons. Yes, I'm coming, Penny!" And he bustled off to join her in a piece of toast.

Malfoy passed their table on his way to his usual seat at the Slytherin table, caught Gienah's eye and nodded at her. Gienah shook her head in disbelief, blinked, and saw him sitting and smirking with his usual cronies.

At a quarter to eleven, the Gryffindor team set off for the locker rooms. The weather couldn't have been more different from their match against Hufflepuff. It was a clear, cool day with a very light breeze; there would be no lighting strike this time, and Gienah, though nervous, was starting to feel the excitement only a Quidditch match could bring. They could hear the rest of the school moving into the stadium beyond.

"You know what we've got to do," said Wood as they prepared to leave the locker rooms. "If we lose this match, we're out of the running- just - just fly like you did in practice yesterday, and we'll be alright".

They walked out onto the field to tumultuous applause. The Ravenclaw team, dressed in blue, were already standing in the middle of the field. Their Seeker, Cho Chang, was the only girl on their team. She smiled at Gienah as the teams faced each other behind their captains.

"Wood, Davies, shake hands," Madam Hooch said briskly, and Wood shook hands with the Ravenclaw Captain.

"Mount your brooms ... on my whistle ... three - two - one -"

Gienah kicked off into the air and the Firebolt zoomed higher and faster than any other broom; she soared around the stadium and began squinting around for the Snitch, listening all the while to the commentary, which was being provided by the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan.

"And we're off. Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor, heading for goal… This game is crucial for Gryffindor. A loss here would mean Gryffindor are out of the running for the cup"

Gienah streaked past Katie in the opposite direction, gazing around for a glint of gold and noticing that Cho Chang was tailing her closely. She was undoubtedly a very good flier - she kept cutting across her, forcing her to change direction.

"Show her your acceleration, Gienah!" Fred yelled as he whooshed past in pursuit of a Bludger that was aiming for Alicia.

Gienah urged the Firebolt forward as they rounded the Ravenclaw goal posts and Cho fell behind. She was being an irritating fly she was longing to swat. Just as Katie succeeded in scoring the first goal of the match, and the Gryffindor end of the field went wild, she saw it - the Snitch was close to the ground, flitting near one of the barriers.

Gienah didn't need to think before she dived; Cho saw what she was doing and tore after her - Gienah was speeding up, excitement flooding her; fifteen feet away, ten feet away -

Then a Bludger, hit by one of the Ravenclaw Beaters, came pelting out of nowhere; Gienah veered off course, avoiding it by an inch, and in those few, crucial seconds, the Snitch had vanished. Gienah cursed under her breath and hoped he'd be revenged fittingly.

There was a great "Ooooooh" of disappointment from the Gryffindor supporters, but much applause for their Beater from the Ravenclaw end. George Weasley vented his feelings by hitting the second Bludger directly at the offending Beater, who was forced to roll right over in midair to avoid it.

"Nice one!" Gienah yelled as she zoomed past him.

"Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Black's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn - Chang's Comet is just no match for it, the Firebolt's precision - balance is really noticeable in these long -"

"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!"

Gienah chuckled, her eyes scanning the pitch from above.

Ravenclaw was pulling back; they had now scored three goals, which put Gryffindor only fifty points ahead - if Cho got the Snitch before her, Ravenclaw would win. Gienah dropped lower, narrowly avoiding a Ravenclaw Chaser, scanning the field frantically - a glint of gold, a flutter of tiny wings - the Snitch was circling the Gryffindor goal post...

Gienah accelerated, eyes fixed on the speck of gold ahead - but just then, Cho appeared out of thin air, blocking her -

"BLACK!" Wood roared as Gienah swerved to avoid a collision. "KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!"

Gienah scowled, turned and caught sight of Cho; she was grinning. The Snitch had vanished again.

"Wood makes an impressive save. Last year as captain, last chance to win that cup. Won't be surprised if he's signed by the end of summer- And Spinet has the quaffle, Johnson and back to Ravenclaw. Davies makes a smooth pass to Burrow- - and Burrow fumbles in an junior slip up caught by Johnson. Gryffindor in possession. Ninety-thirty as Johnson puts in yet another goal. Gryffindor in possession and Johnson really is going for it, quick pass to Bell, Spinet - nasty bludger from Samuels there -Johnson and ANOTHER GOAL FOR GRYFFINDOR. A hundred-thirty to Gryffindor!"

Gienah whooped, turned her Firebolt upward and was soon twenty feet above the game. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cho following her ...She'd decided to mark her rather than search for the Snitch herself...All right, then...if she wanted to tail her, she'd have to take the consequences…

She dived again, and Cho, thinking she'd seen the Snitch, tried to follow; Gienah pulled out of the dive very sharply; she hurtled downward; Gienah rose fast as a bullet once more, and then saw it, for the third time - the Snitch was glittering way above the field at the Ravenclaw end.

She accelerated; so, many feet below, did Cho. But Gienah was winning, gaining on the Snitch with every second - she was nearly there. She stretched out her hand and just managed to close her fingers over the small, struggling Snitch. Gienah kissed the snitch and raised her hands to the stands who were roaring in jubilation.

"And would you look at that, what a come-back from Black- now a third year- Black catches the snitch. Black has caught the snitch! Two hundred and fifty- forty to Gryffindor. GRYFFINDOR WIN!"

Madam Hooch's whistle sounded. Gienah turned around in midair and saw six scarlet blurs bearing down on her; next moment, the whole team was hugging her so hard she was nearly pulled off her broom. Down below she could hear the roars of the Gryffindors in the crowd.

"That's my girl!" Wood kept yelling. Alicia, Angelina, and Katie had all kissed Gienah; Fred had her in a grip so tight Gienah felt as though her head would come off In complete disarray, the team managed to make its way back to the ground. Gienah got off her broom and looked up to see a gaggle of Gryffindor supporters sprinting onto the field, Ron and Harry in the lead. Before she knew it, she had been engulfed by the cheering crowd.

"Yes!" Ron yelled, yanking Gienah's arm into the air. "Yes! Yes!"

"That's my sister" Harry said proudly to anyone that would listen.

Ginny and Luna were doing a kind of war dance.

"Well done, Gienah!" said Percy, looking delighted. "Ten Galleons to me! Must find Penelope, excuse me -"

"Good for you, Genna!" roared Seamus Finnigan.

"Ruddy brilliant!" boomed Hagrid over the heads of the milling Gryffindors.

"Come on!" said George, fighting his way over. "Party! Gryffindor common room, now!"

Feeling more carefree than she had in ages, she and the rest of the team led the way, still in their scarlet robes, out of the stadium and back up to the castle.

It felt as though they had already won the Quidditch Cup; the party went on all day and well into the night. Fred and George Weasley disappeared for a couple of hours and returned with armfuls of bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, and several bags full of Honeydukes sweets.

"How did you do that?" squealed Angelina Johnson as George started throwing Peppermint Toads into the crowd.

"With a little help from Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Fred muttered in Gienah's ear.

The Gryffindor party ended only when Professor McGonagall turned up in her tartan dressing gown and hair net at one in the morning, to insist that they all go to bed. At last, exhausted, Gienah climbed into bed, twitched the hangings of her four-poster shut to block out a ray of moonlight, lay back, and felt herself almost instantly drifting off to sleep...

Sunday morning the muggle studies class was shrouded in darkness, four students on the first row all had their eyes towards a black and white movie playing from the wizarding projector. They were watching and old war documentary on the bombing of Hiroshima. Gienah felt like she was going to wretch any second, Ron's face and hands had gone pale, Harry was sitting back, with a tight grip on the sides of his chairs and Hermione was watching through her fingers. The documentary closed with a last satellite view of the destroyed city.

"Now can someone tell me why this is such a significant event in modern history?" Mike asked without his usual smile.

"Ron."

"Three reasons. Firstly, the nature of the atomic bomb was inhumane. It took guerrilla warfare to another level, involving citizens and exposing them to fate no man, woman or child deserves. It is thus a major feature of Total War, the theory that the two world wars were different to any war before hand in the total number of deaths, mobilization and costs geared by the economy. Secondly, the beginning of the age of the nuclear weapon, paving way for the cold war. Thirdly, the importance and danger of intelligence and technology was realized by muggles. Scientists and engineers were inspired by the impression man could make on nature and questioned the limits of mankind. Oh and I think Japan still has a problem with the U.S. So chuck in foreign relations in there."

Gienah, Harry and Hermione stared at him.

"But you _hate_ History of Magic" Hermione said.

"I can't stand to listen to Binns yeah, like any normal person, but muggle history's faster." Ron shrugged.

"Could to see you've done your reading Ron." Mike grinned. "Next assignment 'What is the Nazi ideology?' two thousand words due in three weeks. See you next week."

At six o'clock that afternoon, Hermione, Gienah, Harry and Ron left Gryffindor Tower, passed the security trolls at a run, and headed down to the entrance hall.

Hagrid was already waiting for them.

"Alright?" Gienah smiled. Hagrid didn't respond.

The first thing they saw on entering Hagrid's cabin was Buckbeak, who was stretched out on top of Hagrid's patchwork quilt, his enormous wings folded tight to his body, enjoying a large plate of dead ferrets. Gienah saw a gigantic, hairy brown suit and a very horrible yellow-and-orange tie hanging from the top of Hagrid's wardrobe door.

"What are they for, Hagrid?" said Harry.

"Buckbeak's case against the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures," said Hagrid. "This Friday. Him an' me'll be goin' down ter London together. I've booked two beds on the Knight Bus..."

Gienah felt a nasty pang of guilt. She had completely forgotten that Buckbeak's trial was so near, and judging by the uneasy look on Harry and Ron's face, they had too. They had also forgotten their promise about helping him prepare Buckbeak's defense.

Hagrid poured them tea and offered them a plate of Bath buns but they knew better than to accept; they had had too much experience with Hagrid's cooking.

"Hagrid, we should've helped as well - sorry -" Gienah began awkwardly.

"I'm not blamin' yeh!" said Hagrid, waving Gienah's apology aside. "Gawd knows yeh've had enough ter be getting' on with. I've seen yeh practicin' Quidditch ev'ry hour o' the day an' night."

They spent the rest of their visit discussing Gryffindor's improved chances for the Quidditch Cup. At nine o'clock, Hagrid walked them back up to the castle.

A large group of people was bunched around the bulletin board when they returned to the common room.

"Hogsmeade, next weekend!" said Ron, craning over the heads to read the new notice. "What d'you reckon?" he added quietly to Gienah as they went to sit down.

"Well, Filch hasn't done anything about the passage into Honeydukes..." Gienah said with a smile.

"You can borrow my cloak" Harry whispered.

Gienah was walking back from the dungeons one night following one of her 'detentions'. She was enjoying talking back in Snape's lessons to land herself for his lectures that he threatened to start taking points away instead.

She turned the corner and crashed into a tall boy.

"Cedric!"

"Gienah." He said a little too politely.

Gienah looked at him for a few seconds before leaning in to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"I'm sorry" Gienah said softly.

"If you don't want to see me any more" Cedric said stiffly "I would appreciate it if you told me rather than leave me to reach our own conclusion. Not very Gryffindor of you I must say."

"Why are you talking like that?" Gienah said sharply, hurt by his words so uncharacteristic of the prefect.

"I really liked you." Cedric said quietly. "Excuse me, I have to see Professor Snape." Cedric sidestepped her and continued down the stairs. She stamped her foot and walked forward when she saw Malfoy leaning by the wall, clearly having heard the whole conversation, as brief as it was.

"You were eavesdropping." Gienah accused him.

"You were dating Cedric Diggory?" Malfoy said with disgust.

"What is it any business of yours Malfoy?" Gienah snapped.

"I'm second in line for the Black lordship" Malfoy said with an air of superiority that made Gienah want to slap him. "I'd rather not lose my place to Cedric Diggory".

"Ugh Malfoy" Gienah said making a face. "I'm thirteen!"

"I hope that means you're done with him, or he you." Malfoy continued.

"Where has this brotherly concern come from?" Gienah sneered. "Might I remind you while you may be an older brother to your poor sister, my love life is none of your concern."

Malfoy surveyed her carefully.

"Apologies, lady Black" Malfoy bowed ever so slightly.

"Merlin Malfoy" Gienah sighed, sitting on the window sill on the landing, showing a beautiful view of the black lake underwater. "Black will do… Or cousin."

"As you wish… cousin" Malfoy said, testing it out in his mouth without it being an insult.

"So you're a big brother." Gienah asked him as he too jumped up into the alcove.

"Yeah" Malfoy smiled and Gienah was struck by how he was quite handsome in a delicate way when he wasn't sneering.

"What's her name?"

"Ara." Malfoy said. "Ara Elladora Malfoy."

"Another star." Gienah smiled.

"She doesn't look anything like my mother or father." Malfoy said. "Ara's a quintessential Black. Black hair, grey eyes. Narcissa said she looked like- you."

"How does she know what I looked like when I was a baby?" Asked Gienah in surprise.

"She found out Sirius had a daughter after the war ended and she saw you with Andromeda Black and the werewolf at the Potter's funeral." Malfoy said quietly. "She said she had wanted to adopt you as soon as Black was arrested but it was evident Sirius wanted you to go to Andromeda, not her."

"When did she tell you all of this?"

"The first christmas after coming here." Malfoy said a little uncomfortably. "I told her you were here. She asks about you now and then."

"Ara Elladora… You know my middle name is Elladora."

"Makes sense I suppose." Malfoy said. "Mother is quite proud of her heritage. She was relieved when Sirius Black was released."

"I thought she believes he was a blood traitor, a disgrace to the family and all that pureblood mantra" said Gienah with surprise.

"Don't mistake his crazy mother's words for mine." Malfoy said coldly.

"Sorry." Gienah said.

"I should…" Malfoy stood up. Gienah did too and noticed he was an inch taller than her. Gone were the days she looked down at him. Malfoy walked down towards the dungeon.

"Malfoy!"

He turned around, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe you and your family could visit us this summer. I can meet Ara and you can meet Lyra." Gienah looked down at her feet as she spoke. "Lyra's Andr-"

"My aunt's daughter I know- I- I'll speak to my mother." Malfoy said, his face oddly blank.

On Saturday morning, Gienah looked around for Cedric, hoping he would be one of the early risers. As they were leaving the hall she saw Cedric coming from down the stairs, avoiding meeting her eyes.

"Go ahead" She told Hermione quietly as she stopped and waited for him. He was heading straight past her when she grabbed his hand. For a moment he stopped and allowed her to bring his head down to hers so she could whisper in his ear "Meet me at the shrieking shack at two o'clock."

She walked away before he could say yes or no, hoping time to think might persuade him to see what she had to say.

The lesson went quickly as usual, they had moved on to William Blake and writing their own poetry. When lesson ended she left Ron, Harry and Hermione, ran to her dormitory to change into a I'm-sorry-take-me-back outfit. She settled on a forest green dress Andromeda had brought her recently commenting how it'd bring out her eyes. It was quite modest, with long sheer sleeves and bared shoulders.

Gienah packed Harry's Invisibility Cloak in her bag, slipped the Marauder's Map into her fur cloak pocket and ran to the third floor. Crouching behind the one-eyed witch, she smoothed it out. A tiny dot was moving in her direction. Gienah squinted at it. The minuscule writing next to it read Neville Longbottom.

Gienah quickly pulled out her wand, muttered, "Dissendium!" and shoved her bag into the statue, but before she could climb in herself, Neville came around the corner.

"Gienah" Neville gasped then went red then looked down at his feet. "I forgot you weren't going to Hogsmeade either."

"Hi, Neville," said Gienah, moving swiftly away from the statue and pushing the map back into her pocket. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," shrugged Neville. "Want a game of Exploding Snap?"

"Er - not now - I was going to go to the library and do that vampire essay for Ambrogio-"

"I'll come with you!" said Neville nervously. "I haven't done it either!"

"Er - hang on - yeah, I forgot, I finished it last night!"

"Great, you can help me!" said Neville, his round face anxious. "I don't understand that thing about the garlic at all - do they have to eat it, or -"

He broke off with a small gasp, looking over Gienah's shoulder.

It was Snape. Neville took a quick step behind Gienah. Gienah rolled her eyes at Snape who looked like he was telling her that was how she was meant to act around him.

"And what are you two doing here?" said Snape, coming to a halt and looking from one to the other. "An odd place to meet -"

To Gienah's immense disquiet, Snape's black eyes flicked to the doorways on either side of them, and then to the one-eyed witch.

"We're not - meeting here," snapped Gienah. "We just - met here."

"Indeed?" said Snape. "You have a habit of turning up in unexpected places, Black, and you are very rarely there for no good reason...I suggest the pair of you return to Gryffindor Tower, where you belong."

Gienah and Neville set off without another word. She looked at her watch and stroked Vanajakshi nervously as they turned the corner, Gienah looked back. Snape was running one of his hands over the one-eyed witch's head, examining it closely.

Gienah managed to shake Neville off at the Fat Lady by telling him the password, then pretending she'd left his vampire essay in the library and doubling back. Once out of sight of the security trolls, she pulled out the map again and held it close to her nose.

The third floor corridor seemed to be deserted. Gienah scanned the map carefully and saw, with a leap of relief, that the tiny dot labeled Severus Snape was now back in its office.

She sprinted back to the one-eyed witch, opened her hump, heaved herself inside, and slid down to the bottom of the stone chute. She wiped the Marauder's Map blank again, then set off at a run. She had two minutes when she reached the cellar and decided to fly the rest of the way. Panting she came to the fence by the shrieking shack and looked at the time.

"You ran?" Gienah turned and saw Cedric with his hands in his pocket and looking at her, but not quite meeting her eye.

"Yes" Gienah breathed out.

"I thought you had a years ban to Hogsmeade?"

"Long story" Gienah said sheepishly.

Then they heard steps coming back from the village. Gienah threw the invisibility cloak over her and dragged Cedric under it, forcing him to crouch so as to hide their feet.

"What-?" He began but she shh-ed him as Hermione, Harry and Ron came down the path. She was about to take the cloak off when she saw someone was climbing toward the house from the other side of the hill; moments later, Malfoy had appeared, followed closely by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy was speaking.

"...should have an owl from Father any time now. He had to go to the hearing to tell them about my arm...about how I couldn't use it for three months..."

Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. Gienah curled her fists.

"I really wish I could hear that great hairy moron trying to defend himself...'There's no 'arm in 'im, 'onest -'...That Hippogriff's as good as dead -"

Malfoy suddenly caught sight of Ron. His pale face split in a malevolent grin.

"What are you doing, Weasley?"

Malfoy looked up at the crumbling house behind Ron and right through Gienah.

"Suppose you'd love to live here, wouldn't you, Weasley? Dreaming about having your own bedroom? I heard your family all sleep in one room - is that true?"

Harry seized the back of Ron's robes to stop him from leaping on Malfoy.

The opportunity was too perfect to miss. Gienah bent down, and scooped a large handful of mud out of the path.

"Gienah" Cedric warned her.

"We were just discussing your friend Hagrid," Malfoy said to Ron. "Just trying to imagine what he's saying to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. D'you think he'll cry when they cut off his Hippogriff's -"

SPLAT!

Malfoy's head jerked forward as the mud hit him; his silver blonde hair was suddenly dripping in muck.

"What the -?"

Ron had to hold onto the fence to keep himself standing, he was laughing so hard. Harry and Hermione were crying with laughter. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle spun stupidly on the spot, staring wildly around, Malfoy trying to wipe his hair clean.

"What was that? Who did that?"

"Very haunted up here, isn't it?" said Ron, with the air of one commenting on the weather.

Crabbe and Goyle were looking scared. Their bulging muscles were no use against ghosts. Malfoy was staring madly around at the deserted landscape.

Gienah sneaked along the path with Cedric in tow, where a particularly sloppy puddle yielded some foul-smelling, green sludge.

SPLATTER!

Crabbe and Goyle caught some this time. Goyle hopped furiously on the spot, trying to rub it out of his small, dull eyes.

"It came from over there!" said Malfoy, wiping his face, and staring at a spot some six feet to the left of Gienah and Cedric.

Crabbe blundered forward, his long arms outstretched like a zombie. Gienah and Cedric dodged around her, and she picked up a stick, and lobbed it at Crabbe's back. Gienah doubled up with silent laughter as Crabbe did a kind of pirouette in midair, trying to see who had thrown it. Gienah stuck out his leg. Crabbe stumbled - and his huge, flat foot caught the hem of Harry's cloak. Gienah felt a great tug, then the cloak slid off her face, thankfully Cedric wasn't beneath the hood.

For a split second, Malfoy stared at her.

"AAARGH!" he yelled, pointing at Gienah's head. Then he turned tail and ran, at breakneck speed, back down the hill, Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

"Gienah!" Hermione tried to sound strict but she was smiling too hard.

Gienah took the cloak off her and Cedric who just stared at Gienah the whole time.

"We'll leave you to it." Hermione blushed and walked back up the lane taking Ron and Harry with her who were still pink with laughing but scowling as they were conflicted with seeing Cedric with Gienah.

There was a short pause as she cleaned her hands and put the cloak away.

"What are we doing here?" Cedric blurted out.

"I- I wanted to apologize." Gienah blushed.

"I don't understand what happened." Cedric drew closer to her. She felt her heart thumping in her chest and it wasn't because of the running. He was wearing a grey cable knit jumper and a black cloak hanging off his shoulder. "We were owling each other every day and then- you were always busy, you either had practice or detention or library."

"I didn't do it on purpose" Gienah said honestly. "I admit I took it for granted that you were there and thought a few minutes between classes would be enough, but it isn't and I want to try again. I - I've never been in a relationship before and it's not like my fathers have set the best example. One's pledged celibacy and the other, well he told me himself he made a Marauder's Oath to sleep with every single woman in Wizarding Britain and then some."

Cedric smiled in spite of himself.

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"We can try again. But we are having a date night. Every Friday." Cedric demanded and all she could think was how much she missed kissing him. Cedric seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he was looking at her naturally pouting lips. He leaned in close, but as he was a few millimetres away she whispered, "Want to go somewhere more private?"

She looked into Cedric's eyes, wide eyes and dilated. She felt her stomach flip-flop, knowing that he wanted her.

"Do you trust me?" Gienah murmured in his ear.

Cedric nodded.

"Hold on to my neck." Gienah turned around and leaned into him. He snaked his arms around her waist. Vanajakshi poked her head out and then lazily wrapped herself around her arm.

"Neck!" Gienah blushed. He complied. Gienah closed her eyes and felt Cedric almost slip off as her body took the shape of a thestral.

"What the-woah" He held on as she stretched her wings and shot up into the sky. She headed for the shrieking shack and dropped Cedric down the chimney and followed after him in her human form.

"Oops" Gienah giggled as she found herself straddling Cedric on the floor. She made to move but Cedric kept her in place, holding her hands and intertwining them with his. Gienah could feel her heart thumping out of her chest as she looked into his grey eyes, that had none of his usual lightness. They looked hard and intense. He was gently pulling her forward so her body was pressed to his. He let go of her hands and put them on the sides of her waist while she supported herself on either side of her head, her lips inches away from his but he made no move to close the distance as he watched her respond to his ministrations. Gienah felt her breathing quicken as he brought his hands further down to the curve of her hips and lightly held her buttocks. She bit her lip and a smile pulled on his lips as he dragged her dress up a little so he could feel the bare back of her thighs. She closed her eyes as he stroked her thigh, moving dangerously higher.

"Open your eyes." He demanded quietly and she felt a thrill at the order.

She did and looked again at his handsome face, his straight dark brows and flat sculpted cheeks. The soot in his hair and the softness of his lips. He slowly sat up and turned so we swapped positions. He placed a finger on her lips and pulled to reveal the inside of her lip then dragged his finger down, tracing the column of her neck then further down into the valley of her developing breasts, Gienah felt something stir in the bottom of her stomach and jolted a little but he continued down to where her navel was and Gienah watched him as if daring him to go on. He paused teasingly, licked his lips and dragged his nail down further stopping at where he could feel the line of my underwear under her dress. Gienah clenched his other hand in hers and felt the strange new feeling dominate her.

"Please" Gienah pleaded though she didn't know what it is she wanted.

Cedric groaned and she felt something hard against her thigh and blushed remembering something Ginny said about the tell tale signs of a boys arousal.

Suddenly he grabbed both her hands and held them above her head and kissed her passionately, his other hand on her waist, then squeezing her naked thigh, then up her waist and higher and higher and… Gienah purred. Cedric made an odd grunting sound in response as he continued to knead her small breasts, feeling her small nipples pushing through the silk.

"Merlin, don't you wear a bra?" Cedric said in between sucking her tongue in such a way it went straight between her legs. She tried to release her hands but he refused to let her budge. He then let her go and her hands were pulling at his hair and scratching down his muscular back.

"Gawd" Gienah moaned. "There's so much of you."

Cedric's whole weight was now on her as his hands were clenching her bum and she felt a glorious friction in between her legs as he crushed into her, his mouth on her neck.

"Cedric" she gasped as he nibbled her ear and put his tongue in her ear. The same time his hands had managed to hike her dress up to her waist and his hands were touching bare skin and she felt there was hardly anything between her and him. Cedric lifted his head from hers and began to move his hips against her and instinctively she wrapped her legs around him as he gyrated against her hot centre. His grey eyes looked near black as he bit his lips hard and watched her move under him. Gienah's lips were beautifully pink and swollen from his gnawing, and her green eyes ablaze.

"Cedric" She moaned, throwing her head back and arching her back.

She could feel the tip of his hard length exasperating a certain sensitive spot she never knew she had. Her eyelids fluttered as she felt a knot tighten with each motion until she felt an almost unbearable delicious unravelling that sent wave after wave of pleasure through her body radiating from her centre, making her feet twitch and her hips spasm. Cedric watched her as she orgasmed, the innocence on her face and the perfect o of her lips was the cause of his undoing. He groaned as he came violently continuing to move against her as he finished. For seconds he collapsed onto her lithe body, listening to her heart beat stabilize and the sound of her breathing become even. Eventually he stood up and pulled her up with him, her legs a little shaky.

"I'm so sorry" Cedric said guiltily, tilting her chin up to his. "I should have asked instead of-"

Gienah stopped him with a kiss, different from their others. It was less teasing, more deep and sensual.

"Did I sound like I wanted you to stop?" Gienah asked him, a slight blush staining her cheeks. "Besides, no clothes actually came off".

Cedric blushed, brought his wand out and dried the damp patch on the front of his trousers, then at her and siphoned away most of the soot in her hair. He looked around and remembered how he'd got there.

"You can fly?" Cedric brushed his fingers through his hair looking, in her opinion, adorably baffled. "Are we in the shrieking shack?!"

"Woah boy, breathe." Gienah put her hands to his chest. "Yes and yes but there's nothing here."

"It's haunted!" Cedric said, grabbing her hand and looking for an escape route but there were no doors leading outside, not even barred. He went to the next room which looked like a dining room with a staircase to the second floor. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs in every corner.

"Are you an animagus?" He finally said when he realized there was no way out. He even tried to blow a hole in the wall but the shack was magically immune.

"Yes - no - is it ok if I didn't tell you?" Gienah said sheepishly. "Only Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore and Snape found out without my meaning to- and Seamus and Dean I suppose but I reckon they think I did a neat bit of transfiguration- point being, it must never become public knowledge. Never, ever, ever."

Gienah said her last words with a desperation that made Cedric wonder how bad a secret it could be.

"I respect your privacy." He finally said with some difficulty.

Gienah's eyes sparkled as she looked up at him and she almost choked at how much of a Hufflepuff he was.

"We're going to be late for dinner." Gienah suddenly said, taking his hand and leading him towards the cellar and down a small underground mine that forced Cedric to bow his head as he walked. Soon it became a little more spacious, but warmer and Cedric held both their cloaks in his arm, his other hand in hers. Gienah was reliving every moment of their past hour and finally asked Cedric "Did I orgasm?"

Cedric spluttered, turned red and stopped in his tracks.

"Don't you ever- you know?" Cedric asked her, unable to look her in the eye.

"What?" Gienah said completely unawares.

"Touch yourself." He coughed and Gienah felt something stir again.

"No!" Gienah said.

"I wasn't accusing you" Cedric blushed, walking once more. "It's perfectly - natural."

"Well?"

"I'm not an expert but urm- all the signs were there." Cedric said, looking straight ahead.

"What signs?" Gienah asked, out of interest but also she was enjoying teasing him.

Cedric stopped and looked down at her when he said "Your eyes dilated, your lips drew apart and you kind of - seized- underneath me."

"And- what's it meant to feel like?" Gienah asked him.

"Gienah" He said with gritted teeth. "You have no idea what you're doing to me."

"Tell me" she said, folding her arms.

"For some reason-" Cedric looked seriously uncomfortable. "When you talk like that- like you have no idea at what we did, no experience - so - innocent - it drives me insane"

Cedric was breathing hard and his grey eyes were hard and glinting once more.

"When I - cum- it's this intense build up and every move is like a wind up toy that becomes more difficult to turn but more pleasurable and then it unwinds at once and it feels like this short glorious burst of every nerve in your body bursting with it."

Gienah nodded and said "Similar" and walked on. She heard Cedric grumble "You little tease" and then ran after her.

They went straight to dinner where Cedric kissed her in front of everyone in the hall by the entrance before taking his seat. Gienah went beetroot red as she heard boys cat calling and congratulating Cedric. She glared at the boy that was shaking Cedric's hand and was tempted to throw her dagger at him which she kept on her at all times.

"I thought you guys split up" Ron groaned as she came to sit between him and Harry. Harry was ignoring her. Ginny was sitting two seats away staring at her so hard she was convinced she was trying to communicate telepathically. Neville sitting next to her was poking his peas with a glum expression on his face and the Weasley twins were wiggling their eyebrows so much she wondered if someone had spelled them to have a life of their own.

"We went on a- sabbatical" Gienah said heaping mashed potato on her plate, absolutely famished since she missed lunch.

Hermione harrumphed.

"Why are your cheeks all flushed?" Ron asked loudly. "And your hairs mussed - and some things bit you all over your neck. Look Harry. You should go to Madam Pomfrey. She'll get it seeing to. Could be something really nasty - don't want that spreading..."

Ron continued eating and talking, completely oblivious to the four pairs of eyes that were looking at the increasingly reddening Gryffindor's dishevelled appearance. The twins started crying with laughter and Ginny stared even harder at her while Harry went red around the neck and Hermione returned to her pie with a small knowing smile on her face.

"What you two laughin' at now?" Ron grumbled. "You never share the joke."

Fred and George began howling and Harry choked on his steak.

After dinner she half-ran out of the entrance hall only to bump into someone rather tall and stiff. It was Snape.

"So," he said in his infamous drawl that sounded like a reverberating humming sound.

There was a look of suppressed triumph about him. Gienah tried to look innocent, all too aware of her still muddy hands, which she quickly hid in her pockets.

"Come with me, Black," said Snape.

Gienah followed him downstairs, trying to wipe her hands clean on the inside of her robes without Snape noticing. They walked down the stairs to the dungeons and then into Snape's office.

Gienah had never been in his office. Snape had slimy horrible things in jars, all standing on shelves behind his desk, glinting in the firelight and adding to the threatening atmosphere.

"Sit," said Snape.

Gienah sat. Snape, however, remained, standing.

"Mr. Malfoy has just been to see me with a strange story, Black," said Snape.

The slimy toerag had told on her. Gienah seethed. After their odd heart to heart...

"He tells me that he was up by the Shrieking Shack when he ran into Potter, Granger and Weasley - apparently alone."

Gienah looked on innocently enough.

"Mr. Malfoy states that he was standing talking to the - golden trio, when a large amount of mud hit him in the back of the head. How do you think that could have happened?"

Gienah tried to look mildly surprised.

"I don't know, Professor."

Snape's eyes were boring into hers. It was exactly like trying to stare down a Hippogriff. Gienah tried hard not to blink.

"Mr. Malfoy then saw an extraordinary apparition. Can you imagine what it might have been, Black?"

"No," said Gienah, now trying to sound innocently curious.

"It was your head, Black. Floating in midair."

There was a long silence.

"Maybe he'd better go to Madam Pomfrey," said Gienah. "If he's seeing things like -"

"What would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Black?" said Snape softly. "Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade. No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade."

"I know that," said Gienah, striving to keep her face free of guilt or fear. "It sounds like Malfoy's having hallucin -"

"Malfoy is not having hallucinations," snarled Snape, and he bent down, a hand on each arm of Gienah's chair, so that their faces were a foot apart. "If your head was in Hogsmeade, so was the rest of you."

"Really professor!," said Gienah. "I was up in the tower-"

"Can anyone confirm that?"

"Seeing as I was in my dormitory and all my friends at Hogsmeade thanks to to a certain-"

"Watch what you are saying Ms. Black." Snape's thin mouth curled into a horrible smile.

"So," he said, straightening up again. "Gienah Black is a law unto herself. She goes where she wants to, with no thought for the consequences."

"I do believe you are taking this a little bit too personally professor" Gienah sniffed. "I understand he's your godson but we are professionals, are we not?"

"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Black," Snape grumbled. "He too was exceedingly arrogant. A small amount of talent on the Quidditch field made him think he was a cut above the rest of us too. Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers...The resemblance between you is uncanny."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Severus" Gienah spat. "I am not my father!"

Snape looked at her and she glared back at him. After a few moments his look softened and he relaxed back in his uncomfortable looking armchair.

"Tea?" Snape offered.

"Yes please." She said politely.

He poured her a cup and waved so a tray appeared in front of her with a jug of milk, sugar cubes and a box of muggle mint chocolate thins.

"I was under the impression you two were getting along." Snape said as he sipped his tea.

"How would you-" Gienah began, nibbling on a mint chocolate.

"I heard your invitation." Snape said simply. "Ara looks remarkably like your father. In fact Lucius suspected- what with her indifference towards him and your father's… reputation".

"They're cousins!" said Gienah with a slight shudder as she realized where he was going.

"So they are." Snape said as if stating the obvious and redundant.

"A quick potion proved she is indeed his." Snape continued. "But rather curious how not only does she share your likeness, she shares your middle name. Elladora."

"Malfoy said his mother felt strongly towards her House of birth" Gienah said.

"Do you know anything of your great aunt Elladora Black?" Snape asked her.

"Dad said she started the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old" Gienah said, wrinkling her nose.

"Hmph" Snape sneered. "Trust him to regale the trivialities."

"Can you not try from insulting my father in my presence?" Gienah said coldly.

Snape ignored her.

"Elladora Black, sister of the late headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black, was a gifted sorceress. But in those days gifted witches were regarded with a weary eye. She was forced to hide her talents and became a spinster and died without bearing any children."

"I'm sorry to hear that" Gienah said. "How was she gifted?"

"There are only rumours in these days, passed from generation to generation. Who knows if there is any truth in any of them? Some say she was the magical heir of Morgan Le Fay. Others say she had an incredibly gifted in persuading people to do as her bidding. And there is one rumour that I had never thought much of, until a few months ago."

"What was the rumour?" Gienah whispered.

"That she was a skin-walker."

Gienah almost dropped her tea.

"Nagual?"

"I believe so" Snape nodded. "But even then these creatures are such things of legend."

"What's the difference?"

"Skin-walkers are shape-shifters. They are male or female. Human or beast. You are a skin-walker. But to be Nagual."

Snape paused.

"The Nagual have connotations attached to it that stirs something like fear in the hearts of those who understand their true powers. They are female, beautiful, they live long lives and have natural authority as the - as muggles would say- top of the food chain. You can see how these qualities may become twisted to the darker aspects of the legend that we read in a few obscure books."

"But if she died, how am I what I am?" Gienah asked, her brows furrowed.

"I do not know the facts. I can only offer a working hypothesis. But I suspect that Great Aunt Elladora was not fully Nagual as her life span was only a little more generous than the average witch and I too suspect she never thought more of her gifts as odd familial magic, inherited or a talent she had mastered in her lifetime. In stories it appears to be the curse upon Naguals that if they cannot fully flourish in their gifts they waste away. It is in their nature to stretch their wings and remain free, beautiful, powerful… master predator."

Snape took another sip and stood up to look through his window into the underground lake.

"I highly suspect to be fully Nagual does not mean to be birthed by one. It requires a mother in more ways than one. It requires a queen. Without their queen their gifts are diluted and they may as well be a particularly gifted animagus, able to morph to more than one form. But they are not at one with their spirit. It is the difference between animagus and you Gienah. A person's animagus form may be a phoenix but they will not shed tears of great healing. Their form may be a basilisk but they will not kill with one glance. Their form may be a werewolf but their bite will not infect."

"Then how do we know that I am fully Nagual?" Gienah asked.

"Your thestral is invisible to those unfamiliar with death." Snape said. Gienah didn't bother asking how he knew. "Apart from that we do not know. Nor do we know that such creatures exist truly as we have captured them in our fairy tales."

Gienah finished her tea.

"But these are not all coincidences. The chance that you and Ara share the name Elladora-"

"Professor" Gienah said gravely. "My cousin, Andromeda Tonks' daughter Lyra, her name is Lyra Elladora Black. And… she looks nothing like her sister or father."

"Dark hair and grey eyes?" Snape asked.

She nodded.

"What does this mean?" Gienah said in a whisper.

"It is quite possible that there is a new mother." Snape said thoughtfully. "She is somehow triggering these births."

"But they have to be related, however distantly and right now it's only Andromeda, Bellatrix and Narcissa. And surely we'd know if they were Nagual." Gienah said, wringing her hands.

"I wouldn't panic Gienah. You're mother will not seek to hurt you." Snape said calmly. "But I must ask you, who know of your talents?"

Gienah looked nervously at Snape before saying "My dads', Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, all bloody centaurs from one look apparently - and Dumbledore- I think. Cedric, Seamus and Dean saw me transform."

"You have been marked Adenydd, daughter of Kantrava" Snape said, looking at the rhune between her forehead. "You will need to bind those who know to an oath and the centaurs are the most trustworthy and secretive creatures I know. The boys I'll obliviate."

"No!" Gienah said.

"I don't think you appreciate just how much you will be sought after, seen as a threat, a danger, persecuted… ask your father Gienah." Snape said gazing down on her.

"Not Cedric." Gienah pleaded.

Snape thought for a few moments.

"You believe you can trust him?"

Gienah nodded and felt in her heart she could.

"It is late Gienah." Snape said waving his wand. "Return to your dormitory. You will be resuming weekly Saturday night detentions for breaking your prohibition. You are dismissed."

Gienah returned to the dormitory feeling heavy under the weight of the new information. She wondered about Lyra and little Ara. Even their names sounded similar. She was going to go straight to bed when she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione surrounding a letter and all looking more grim faced than the last.

"Hermione?" Gienah rushed over and asked frantically. "What happened? Is it dad?"

"No," said Hermione. She was holding the letter in her hands and her lip was trembling. "Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."

A.N. I had the most fun writing this chapter. Hardly any writers block at all! Still find writing Lupin a bitch. I just can't capture him the way I see him in my mind. Subtle, brilliant, cautious... Help? R&R


	25. The Quidditch Cup

Chapter Twenty-Nine: **The Quidditch Cup**

"He sent me this," Hermione said, holding out the letter.

Gienah took it. The parchment was damp, and enormous teardrops had smudged the ink so badly in places that it was very difficult to read.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _We lost._

 _I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed._

 _Beaky has enjoyed London._

 _I won't forget all the help you gave us._

 _Hagrid_

"They can't do this," said Harry. "They can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous!"

"Bastards", hissed Gienah.

"Malfoy's dad's frightened the Committee into it," said Hermione, wiping her eyes. "You know what he's like. They're a bunch of doddery old fools, and they were scared. There'll be an appeal, though, there always is. Only I can't see any hope...Nothing will have changed."

"Yeah, it will," said Ron fiercely. "You won't have to do all the work alone this time, Hermione. I'll help."

"Oh, Ron!"

Hermione flung her arms around Ron's neck and broke down completely. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardly on the top of the head. Finally, Hermione drew away. Gienah smiled but didn't say a word.

Sunday evening Cedric was going his prefect patrol on the first floor, his eyes were drooping. Gienah creeped up behind him and covered his eyes with her hands.

"Gienah" He smiled.

"Hello." Gienah kissed him when he turned around. She took his hand and began to take him to the staircase.

"I have prefect rounds" Cedric groaned.

"You have five minutes to go. No one really cares you know. They just make you do it so they can give you something to do." Gienah said earnestly, taking him down the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Cedric asked suspiciously.

Gienah threw Harry's cloak over the two of them as they crossed the grounds.

"To Hagrids?" Cedric said in suprise.

"That's right" Gienah said sarcastically. "My fathers and Harry is in there and Hagrid's the minister. We're getting married in the hut of my dreams."

"Ha, ha" Cedric said dryly.

"You know how Hogsmeade is your thing?" Gienah asked. "The forbidden forest is mine."

"Hogsmeade is not my thing, it's everyone's thing but your thing. And excuse me?"

Gienah took the cloak off of them and into her cloak pocket.

"This is where I come when I need to breathe." She said with a smile on her face. She offered him her hand, he stared for a few seconds and then took it.

They walked for half an hour, not seeing a single creature but heard them scuttle away as the humans treaded down their path.

"Adenydd, daughter of Kantrava" came a deep voice. Gienah turned and saw the handsome centaur she'd met two years ago. She kneeled before him.

"I am at a disadvantage, young centaur for I know not your name." Gienah said softly. The centaur came nearer to her and placed a hand on her head.

"Firenze, son of Urna." Before kneeling before her and bowing his head. They rose together and he searched her face before saying "You have been marked."

"I have." She smiled. "An honour I could not have hoped for."

"The honour is ours Adenydd, I assure you."

Cedric felt like he had interrupted something and shuffled back.

"This is Cedric Diggory" Gienah said suddenly.

"My pleasure." Firenze bowed his head. "Adenydd, I must tell you something-"

Out of the trees emerged two more centaurs, then three, then they were surrounded.

One centaur led the rest. He had dark long hair and olive skin. His eyes betrayed his age, his hide a beautiful mahogany.

"Adenydd, daughter of Kantrava" The centaur knelt down elegantly. And the centaurs around him too bowed their heads.

"Rise" She said in a queenly voice she'd never spoke in before. "I come in peace and offer my friendship to the keepers of the old forest."

"Your star has spoken to our kind for a century and more" The centaur spoke in a soothing melodious tone.

"I hope I do not disappoint" Gienah said with a small smile.

Firenze smiled but the centaur looked very grim.

"The age of the wizard has triumphed past decay. The new moon will drive the shadows away and bathe us all in a new light."

"I don't understand, Magorian son of Mangore."

"It is not for your ears I speak Adenydd." Magorian said with amusement in his eyes. "We have waited for you to return to our forest. We of the old forest would like to bestow upon you a gift so you may speak of us in your old age and let it be known that while the Yarraman marked you, we were first to bequest the Nagual."

Another centaur came forward and kneeled and in her arms was an ornate headpiece made of old silver. Pale silver stones were encrusted in the warrior crown.

"Moonstone to bless you with long life. The ivy plated with old silver offers the wearer greater unity with the earth. The goblins may create great weapons of destruction but our trade is in healing. May many moons pass your time on this earth and the nagual rise once more."

Gienah shivered as he placed the crown from the bed of ivy and gently placed it over my head. It sat comfortably and tingled with magic.

"We will leave you now Adenydd, one day we may speak among a feast in starlight and tell you the stories of the skies." Magorian bowed once more and silently walked into the trees and the colony followed. a few centaurs stared at her reverently, others looked weary.

Firenze was last to leave, kneeling before her and taking her hand to his lips before he swiftly left the clearing.

Gienah felt a sadness engulf her and tears fell from her face. Cedric approached her and she hugged him tightly sobbing into his chest. He stroked her and couldn't help think she looked like a queen even in her leggings and Harry's forest green jumper.

"Why were you crying Gen?" He asked softly after minutes passed by and they now lay in the forest floor staring up at the canopy and glimpses of the starry night.

"I don't know."

Gienah turned and looked at him.

"I love the forest and the skies and the ocean. And looking at the world now, the life they lead they call civilization, it isn't at all. It's barbaric." Gienah said to him, trying to get him to see what she saw.

"Why did the centaur's bow down to you?" Cedric asked. "Is it because you're the Lady Black?"

"Oh no" Gienah laughed. "Don't mind them."

"The ministry may like to dismiss centaurs as star loving fools but I know better." Cedric said quietly, sitting up and looking down at her. "Somethings going to change, or you're going to be right at the heart of it."

"I don't know Cedric, really, I don't." Gienah said honestly. "I always dreamed that I would become infamous. I wanted to be Morgana, I wanted to be Ravenclaw- I wanted to be powerful and have the world at my feet. But the things I've been told, the centaurs, Snape… They speak of history and they speak of what will be, no one knows about the present. And I'm terrified. I want to succeed on my own terms. Not as a pawn for someone else's game."

"Don't be scared Gienah." Cedric said. "You have no obligation to be anyone but yourself. But I won't lie, when you wore that crown you looked like a queen. I can see you as queen and I would happily serve you as queen."

Cedric kissed her passionately and she cried again, feeling crushed by the pressure, and her heart felt it could burst at Cedric's speech.

The next day while the class were feeding salamanders Gienah, Hermione, Harry and Ron lingered near Hagrid. He seemed numb with shock at the verdict.

"S'all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin' there in black robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them dates yeh looked up fer me, Hermione. An' then Lucius Malfoy stood up an' said his bit, and the Committee jus' did exac'ly what he told 'em..."

"There's still the appeal!" said Ron fiercely. "Don't give up yet, we're working on it!"

They were walking back up to the castle with the rest of the class. Ahead they could see Malfoy, who was walking with Crabbe and Goyle, and kept looking back, laughing derisively.

"S'no good, Ron," said Hagrid sadly as they reached the castle steps. "That Committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that..."

Hagrid turned around and hurried back toward his cabin, his face buried in his handkerchief.

"Look at him blubber!"

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had been standing just inside the castle doors, listening.

"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he's supposed to be our teacher!"

Gienah, Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first - SMACK!

She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again.

"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul - you evil -"

"Hermione!" said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand as she swung it back. Gienah grabbed onto Ron, trying to stop him stop Hermione.

"Get off, Ron!"

Hermione pulled out her wand. Malfoy stepped backward. Crabbe and Goyle looked at him for instructions, thoroughly bewildered.

"C'mon." Malfoy muttered, and in a moment, all three of them had disappeared into the passageway to the dungeons.

"Hermione!" Ron said again, sounding both stunned and impressed.

"Gienah, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!" Hermione said shrilly. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!"

"We're due in Charms," said Ron, still goggling at Hermione. "We'd better go."

They hurried up the marble staircase toward Professor Flitwick's classroom.

"You're late!" said Professor Flitwick reprovingly as Harry opened the classroom door. "Come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today, we've already divided into pairs -"

Gienah, Harry and Ron hurried to a desk at the back and opened their bags. Ron looked behind him.

"Where's Hermione gone?"

Gienah looked around too. Hermione hadn't entered the classroom, yet Gienah knew she had been right next to her when she had opened the door.

"That's weird," said Harry, staring at Ron. "Maybe - maybe she went to the bathroom or something?"

But Hermione didn't turn up all lesson.

"She could've done with a Cheering Charm on her too," said Ron as the class left for lunch, all grinning broadly - the Cheering Charms had left them with a feeling of great contentment.

Hermione wasn't at lunch either. By the time they had finished their apple pie, the after-effects of the Cheering Charms were wearing off, and Gienah, Harry and Ron had started to get slightly worried.

"You don't think Malfoy did something to her?" Ron said anxiously as they hurried upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower.

"Just see if he has" snarled Gienah.

They passed the security trolls, gave the Fat Lady the password ("Flibbertigibbet"), and scrambled through the portrait hole into the common room.

Hermione was sitting at a table, fast asleep, her head resting on an open Arithmancy book. They went to sit down on either side of her. Gienah prodded her awake.

"Wh - what?" said Hermione, waking with a start and staring wildly around. "Is it time to go? W - which lesson have we got now?"

"Divination, but it's not for another twenty minutes," said Harry. "Hermione, why didn't you come to Charms?"

"What? Oh no!" Hermione squeaked. "I forgot to go to Charms!"

"But how could you forget?" said Gienah. "You were with us till we were right outside the classroom!"

"I don't believe it!" Hermione wailed. "Was Professor Flitwick angry? Oh, it was Malfoy, I was thinking about him and I lost track of things!"

"You know what, Hermione?" said Ron, looking down at the enormous Arithmancy book Hermione had been using as a pillow. "I reckon you're cracking up. You're trying to do too much."

"No, I'm not!" said Hermione, brushing her hair out of her eyes and staring hopelessly around for her bag. "I just made a mistake, that's all! I'd better go and see Professor Flitwick and say sorry ... I'll see you in Divination!"

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _Remus hasn't owled me for a month now. I didn't want to worry you but I can't keep this from you any longer. I'm worried. Charlie's going to be taking care of things at the reserve._

 _I love you,_

 _Sirius_

The Easter Holidays were not exactly relaxing, the third years complained how they had never had so much homework. Neville Longbottom seemed close to a nervous collapse.

"Call this a holiday!" Seamus Finnigan roared at the common room one afternoon. "The exams are ages away, what're they playing at?"

Even without Divination, Hermione was taking more subjects than anybody else. She was usually last to leave the common room at night, first to arrive at the library the next morning; she had shadows under her eyes, and seemed constantly close to tears.

Ron had taken over responsibility for Buckbeak's appeal. When he wasn't doing his own work, he was poring over enormously thick volumes with names like The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology and Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality. He was so absorbed, he even forgot to be horrible to Crookshanks.

Gienah received the letter at the beginning of the Easter Holidays. She may as well had read her execution date. Gienah stopped studying all together. She walked around a shell of the person she used to be. They never saw her cry either. Even Malfoy had taken pity. What was worst, she had no control over the situation. Dumbledore was alerted by Sirius warning him that Gienah may escape to find her father. Fawkes was constantly on guard by the Hogwarts towers, Hagrid and the centaurs on alert in the forest and Harry, Ron and Hermione had confiscated her map and placed a charm on the secret passages to alert them if anyone passed.

Gienah had attempted to escape as a snake through the forest but when she appeared at Hogsmeade Dumbledore was waiting for her, sitting on a bench and reading the Daily Prophet. The only studies she took seriously were her Dark Arts lessons with Snape.

She spent long walks with Cedric in the evenings, but she wouldn't speak and he wouldn't force her. Most days she cried and he comforted her.

Gienah still attended Quidditch practice every day, not to mention endless discussions of tactics with Wood. The Gryffindor-Slytherin match would take place on the first Saturday after the Easter holidays. Slytherin was leading the tournament by exactly two hundred points. This meant (as Wood constantly reminded his team) that they needed to win the match by more than that amount to win the Cup. It also meant that the burden of winning fell largely on Gienah, because capturing the Snitch was worth one hundred and fifty points.

"So you must catch it only if we're more than fifty points up," Wood told Gienah constantly. "Only if we're more than fifty points up, Gienah, or we win the match but lose the Cup. You've got that, Haven't you? You must catch the Snitch only if we're -"

"I KNOW, OLIVER!" Gienah yelled.

She stopped eating, stopped talking, stopped living. Wood was wary of approaching her but the fact was, she was still on top of her game and she continued to run with the team every morning before breakfast. Angeline yelled at Wood about young girls and impressionable minds.

"You've got her developing an eating disorder!" Angelina poked him on the chest.

Wood spluttered.

"And I suppose it's my fault her father's missing?"

"She's a wraith on a broomstick" Angelina said heatedly.

The whole of Gryffindor House was obsessed with the coming match. Never, in anyone's memory, had a match approached in such a highly charged atmosphere. By the time the holidays were over, tension between the two teams and their Houses was at the breaking point. A number of small scuffles broke out in the corridors, culminating in a nasty incident in which a Gryffindor fourth year and a Slytherin sixth year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears.

No one touched Gienah since Crabbe and Goyle ended up in the hospital and refused to say who had cursed them. The black haired witch no longer walked with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Luna would still speak to her but only because she had the patience of a vampire. Ginny too stayed close to the witch remembering a time when she had done the same. Gienah had subscribed to every newspaper keeping an eye out for information regarding the missing werewolf case. The morning on the day before the match the front page was plastered with Lupin's face on it. A few people offered their condolences, and others who never knew her father was a werewolf began to avoid her.

That evening she walked to Snape's detention with her assignment in her hand.

"Enter"

Gienah came in and sat down, brought out a parchment, ink and a quill Lupin had given her two Christmases ago.

"You're wasting away." Snape said roughly.

Gienah looked up and stared at him blankly.

"Literally!" Snape hissed, approaching her and pushing the sleeve of her jumper away to reveal skeletal arms. "How will this help find your father?"

"I can do nothing to help him" Gienah said, pulling the jumper down to cover the offending appendage.

"Put that away" Snape ordered. She did so.

"Stand" Gienah complied.

He waved his wand and the room was empty but for the two people standing. Their was a knock on the door.

"Enter" he said, looking critically at her. "Today we will have a practical lesson. You are duelling. All bets off. No rules but yield or die."

Malfoy came in, looking a little nervous after realizing what he had signed himself up to.

"Duelling positions!" He yelled standing in the centre.

Gienah stood some three steps away from him and held her wand ready. Her wand seemed to spark in anticipation.

"BEGIN!" Snape roared.

The walls had disappeared. They were in a darkly lit room with floating lanterns in a circle above them. Snape was watching from a distance, drowned in darkness. Gienah barely addressed the change of setting as she cast the first spell.

"Cassava" Gienah whispered, the root like tentacles sprouted like a web before her. Draco cast a relashio at the source but he hit a smaller tentacle and where it was cut another two grew in place. One had managed to wrap around his ankle.

"Incendio!" Malfoy roared and the tendrils licked away from the burning light. Gienah abandoned the spell and silently cast a rolling fog.

"Gemini"

As Malfoy cleared the fog he saw seven of Gienah. He conjured a large slab of rock in front of him and hid beneath it, peeking from behind.

"Serrasmus" Malfoy flung at her before retreating. He felt something crash into the rock, some debris fell on his head. He looked back again and saw the piranhas refused to touch her. They just squirmed before dying. Gienah vanished them lazily.

He heard her cry "Bombardem Maxima" and the rock exploded, shards pierced his back but he ignored them as he faced all seven of her again.

"Stupefy!" The image faded. "Relashio" The doppelganger exploded.

Gienah rolled her eyes and Malfoy screamed "HA!" And got her with a cutting jinx on her chest. She was losing blood but she had no time to heal her wound.

"Ignus inferno" Gienah screamed and Draco was surrounded in a ring of fire.

"Glaciem tueri" The fire clashed with ice and turned to water. Gienah shivered, feeling weak as the cold created frost on the surface of her exposed skin. Malfoy was grinning as she fell to her knees.

"Yield cousin!" He sneered.

"Vanajakshi" She whispered. The cobra was slithering around her wrist trying to warm her. "Strike."

The cobra looked at her eyes for a moment before it bared her fangs and slithered across the few metres. Malfoy only noticed the golden cobra seconds before it bit him. Last thing she heard was a scream.

Gienah woke back in the classroom, her injury gone and Malfoy panting on the floor across her.

"Impressive for third years" He said after some consideration. Vanajakshi returned to her mistress. Snape threw a vial to Malfoy who was looking at the puncture on his wrist.

"I forgot about your.. pet" Snape said.

Vanajakshi hissed at him before resting her head against her pulse point and turning back to gold.

Malfoy was regaining some colour.

"But I had her" Malfoy muttered, looking at his puncture heal and Gienah standing up without a scratch on her body.

"You duelled in your mind." Snape said. "There was no real risk, except if you decided to strangle each other. Or had a snake on your persons."

"Could you use that as an attack?" Gienah asked him.

"I don't see how anything could be gained that could be achieved by a sleeping jinx." Snape said. "Effective for duelling practice, not much else."

"Malfoy, please go to the Hospital Wing to check your injury." Snape said. "Gienah stay behind."

Once Malfoy left Snape leaned back on his desk and folded his arms.

"If you start eating, and studying, and talking again, I will personally see to it that we both go and search for your father".

Gienah's eyes seemed to glimmer with a little life.

"I will arrange for your exams to be taken at the end of this month." Snape continued. "Then we will go on a little.. vacation".

"A month!?" Gienah shouted. "He could be six feet under by then!"

Snape pursed his lips.

Gienah continued to meet his gaze.

"A fortnight, but you must pass all your exams." Snape sighed.

Gienah smiled for the first time in three weeks and left the classroom and headed straight to the library.

Gienah slept badly. First she dreamed that she had overslept, and that Wood was yelling, "Where were you? We had to use Neville instead!" Then she dreamed Lupin was being tortured by Fudge at the Ministry, he was looking straight at her as she stood helplessly and croaked help, Gienah was sobbing as she tried to reach him but she was dragged back by Dumbledore and placed in a tower surrounded by giants. She threw herself out of the window and then woke with a start.

It was a few seconds before Harry remembered that the match hadn't taken place yet, that he was safe in bed, and that Lupin was somewhere out there. Quietly as she could, she got out of her four-poster and went to pour herself some water from the silver jug beneath the window.

The grounds were still and quiet. No breath of wind disturbed the treetops in the Forbidden Forest; the Whomping Willow was motionless and innocent-looking. It looked as though the conditions for the match would be perfect.

Gienah and the rest of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall the next day to enormous applause. Both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding them too. The Slytherin table hissed loudly as they passed.

Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat, while touching nothing himself. Then he hurried them off to the field before anyone else had finished, so they could get an idea of the conditions. As they left the Great Hall, everyone applauded again.

"Okay - no wind to speak of - sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it - ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kickoff -"

Wood paced the field, staring around with the team behind him. Finally, they saw the front doors of the castle open in the distance and the rest of the school spilling onto the lawn.

"Locker rooms," said Wood tersely.

None of them spoke as they changed into their scarlet robes. In what seemed like no time at all, Wood was saying, "Okay, it's time, let's go -"

They walked out onto the field to a tidal wave of noise. Three quarters of the crowd was wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them, or brandishing banners with slogans like "GO GRYFFINDOR!" and "LIONS FOR THE CUP" Behind the Slytherin goal posts, however, two hundred people were wearing green; the silver serpent of Slytherin glittered on their flags, and Professor Snape sat in the very front row, wearing green like everyone else, and a very grim smile.

"And here are the Gryffindors!" yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. "Black, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years -"

Lee's comments were drowned by a tide of 'boos' from the Slytherin end.

"And here come the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill -"

More boos from the Slytherin crowd. Gienah, however, thought Lee had a point. Malfoy was easily the smallest person On the Slytherin team; the rest of them were enormous.

"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch.

Flint and Wood approached each other and grasped each other's hand very tightly; it looked as though each was trying to break the other's fingers.

"Mount your brooms!" said Madam Hooch. "Three...two...one..."

The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd as fourteen brooms rose into the air. Gienah felt her hair fly back behind her; her nerves left her in the thrill of the flight; she glanced around, saw Malfoy on her tail, and sped off in search of the Snitch.

"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinner of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Alicia! Argh, no - Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing UP the field - WHAM! - nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by - Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina - nice swerve around Montague - duck, Angelina, that's a Bludger!¨ SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Angelina punched the air as she soared around the end of the field; the sea of scarlet below was screaming its delight

"OUCH!"

Angelina was nearly thrown from her broom as Marcus Flint went smashing into her.

"Sorry!" said Flint as the crowd below booed. "Sorry, didn't see her!"

A moment later, Fred Weasley chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed.

"That will do!" shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between then. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!"

"Come off it, Miss!" howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Alicia flew forward to take the penalty.

"Come on, Alicia!" yelled Lee into the silence that had descended on the crowd. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Gienah turned the Firebolt sharply to watch Flint, still bleeding freely, fly forward to take the Slytherin penalty. Wood was hovering in front of the Gryffindor goal posts, his jaw clenched.

"'Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!" Lee Jordan told the crowd as Flint waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. "Superb! Very difficult to pass - very difficult indeed - YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!"

Relieved, Gienah zoomed away, gazing around for the Snitch, but still making sure she caught every word of Lee's commentary. It was essential that she hold Malfoy off the Snitch until Gryffindor was more than fifty points up -But she was starting to feel weak and lightheaded…

"Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin in possession - no! Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell, Katie Bell for Gryffindor with the Quaffle, she's streaking up the field - THAT WAS DELIBERATE!"

Montague, a Slytherin Chaser, had swerved in front of Katie, and instead of seizing the Quaffle had grabbed her head. Katie cart-wheeled in the air, managed to stay on her broom, but dropped the Quaffle.

Madam Hooch's whistle rang out again as she soared over to Montague and began shouting at him. A minute later, Katie had put another penalty past the Slytherin Seeker.

"THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING -"

"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way -"

"I'm telling it like it is, Professor!"

Gienah felt a huge jolt of excitement. She had seen the Snitch - it was shimmering at the foot of one of the Gryffindor goal posts - but she mustn't catch it yet - and if Malfoy saw it -

Faking a look of sudden concentration, Gienah pulled her Firebolt around and sped off toward the Slytherin end - it worked. Malfoy went speeding after him, clearly thinking Gienah had seen the Snitch there...

WHOOSH.

One of the Bludgers came streaking past Harry's right ear, hit by the gigantic Slytherin Beater, Derrick. Then again...

WHOOSH.

The second Bludger grazed Harry's elbow. The other Beater, Bole, was closing in.

Gienah had a fleeting glimpse of Bole and Derrick zooming toward her, clubs raised - She turned the Firebolt upward at the last second, and Bole and Derrick collided with a sickening crunch.

"Ha haaa!" yelled Lee Jordan as the Slytherin Beaters lurched away from each other, clutching their heads. "Too bad, boys! You'll need to get up earlier than that to beat a Firebolt!"

But Gienah was feeling faint, she was losing height…

"The Gryffindor seeker is diving towards the ground - no, FUCK, someone get Genna, she's fainted!"

Madame Hooch was nearby and captured the frail girl in her arms. They tried to ennervate her awake but it was clear her heart beat was slowing down.

Madame Pomfrey came onto the pitch and the whole stadium watched as Gienah was placed on to a stretcher. Wood came down and felt her head, then her heart beat. George pulled him back and slapped him.

"Wood, you need to tell Hooch we're bringing Harry on."

Wood nodded.

Harry, Ron and Hermione ran down and found Wood who grabbed Harry and told him grimly "You're on." Hermione and Ron followed Madame Pomfrey into the hospital wing.

"Black has been taken to the hospital wing, no update as of yet, appears to have fainted from exertion. It's not looking good for Gryffindor. Three years on the team, having won six games out of eight. Easily the best record this year but extenuating circumstances happen. Potter, her brother, has been called to play as reserve and if the gift's genetic Gryffindor may still be in with a chance. And Potter's in kit!"

Harry came out to roars in the stadium. He felt his heart beating out of his chest.

"Potter also has a firebolt. Doesn't hurt to have Sirius Black for a godfather."

Hooch blew her whistle and fifteen broomsticks rose to the air.

"We're sixteen minutes into the game and it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle - Flint alongside her - poke him in the eye, Angelina! - it was a joke, Professor, it was a joke - oh no - Flint in possession, Flint flying toward the Gryffindor goal posts, come on now, Wood, save -!"

But Flint had scored; there was an eruption of cheers from the Slytherin end, and Lee swore so badly that Professor McGonagall tried to tug the magical megaphone away from him.

"Sorry, Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So, Gryffindor in the lead, thirty points to ten, and Gryffindor in possession -"

It was turning into the dirtiest game Gryffindor had ever played in. Enraged that Gryffindor had taken such an early lead, the Slytherins were rapidly resorting to any means to take the Quaffle. Bole hit Alicia with his club and tried to say he'd thought she was a Bludger. George Weasley elbowed Bole in the face in retaliation. Madam Hooch awarded both teams penalties, and Wood pulled off another spectacular save, making the score forty-ten to Gryffindor.

The Snitch had disappeared. Malfoy was keeping close to Harry as he soared over the match, looking around for it once Gryffindor was fifty points ahead - Harry had played enough times with the team but never against an opponent so bloodthirsty.

Katie scored. Fifty-ten. Fred and George Weasley were swooping around her, clubs raised, in case any of the Slytherins were thinking of revenge. Bole and Derrick took advantage of Fred's and George's absence to aim both Bludgers at Wood; they caught him in the stomach, one after the other, and he rolled over in the air, clutching his broom, completely winded.

Madam Hooch was beside herself -

"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!" she shrieked at Bole and Derrick. "Gryffindor penalty!"

And Angelina scored. Sixty-ten. Moments later, Fred Weasley pelted a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands; Alicia seized it and put it through the Slytherin goal - seventy-ten.

The Gryffindor crowd below was screaming itself hoarse - Gryffindor was sixty points in the lead, and if Harry caught the Snitch now, the Cup was theirs. Harry could almost feel hundreds of eyes following him as he soared around the field, high above the rest of the game, with Malfoy speeding along behind him.

And then he saw it. The Snitch was sparkling twenty feet above him.

Harry put on a huge burst of speed; the wind was roaring in his ears; he stretched out his hand, but suddenly, the Firebolt was slowing down -

Horrified, he looked around. Malfoy had thrown himself forward, grabbed hold of the Firebolt's tail, and was pulling it back.

"You -"

Harry was angry enough to hit Malfoy, but couldn't reach - Malfoy was panting with the effort of holding onto the Firebolt, but his eyes were sparkling maliciously. He had achieved what he'd wanted to do - the Snitch had disappeared again.

"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics." Madam Hooch screeched, shooting up to where Malfoy was sliding back onto his Nimbus Two Thousand and One.

"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee Jordan was howling into the megaphone, dancing out of Professor McGonagall's reach. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING B -"

Professor McGonagall didn't even bother to tell him off. She was actually shaking her finger in Malfoy's direction, her hat had fallen off, and she too was shouting furiously.

Alicia took Gryffindor's penalty, but she was so angry she missed by several feet. The Gryffindor team was losing concentration and the Slytherins, delighted by Malfoy's foul on Harry, were being spurred on to greater heights.

"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal - Montague scores -" Lee groaned. "Seventy-twenty to Gryffindor..."

Harry was now marking Malfoy so closely their knees kept hitting each other. Harry wasn't going to let Malfoy anywhere near the Snitch...

"Get out of it, Potter!" Malfoy yelled in frustration as he tried to turn and found Harry blocking him.

"Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on, Angelina, COME ON!"

Harry looked around. Every single Slytherin player apart from Malfoy was streaking up the pitch toward Angelina, including the Slytherin Keeper - they were all going to block her - Harry wheeled the Firebolt around, bent so low he was lying flat along the handle, and kicked it forward. Like a bullet, he shot toward the Slytherins.

"AAAAAAARRRGH!"

They scattered as the Firebolt zoomed toward them; Angelina's way was clear.

"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by eighty Points to twenty!"

Harry, who had almost pelted headlong into the stands, skidded to a halt in midair, reversed, and zoomed back into the middle of the field.

And then he saw something to make his heart stand still. Malfoy was diving, a look of triumph on his face - there, a few feet above the grass below, was a tiny, golden glimmer -

Harry urged the Firebolt downward, but Malfoy was miles ahead -

"Go! Go! Go!" Harry urged his broom. He was gaining on Malfoy - Harry flattened himself to the broom handle as Bole sent a Bludger at him - he was at Malfoy's ankles - he was level -

Harry threw himself forward, took both hands off his broom. He knocked Malfoy's arm out of the way and -

"YES!"

He pulled out of his dive, his hand in the air, and the stadium exploded. Harry soared above the crowd, an odd ringing in his ears. The tiny golden ball was held tight in his fist, beating its wings hopelessly against his fingers.

"And it seems to run in the family after all. Harry Potter has captured the snitch for a Gryffindor victory and the Quidditch Cup. GRYFFINDOR WIN! 230 - 20 to Gryffindor. GRYFFINDOR WIN THE QUIDDITCH CUP!" Lee Jordan roared to hundreds of screaming spectators.

Then Wood was speeding toward him, half-blinded by tears; he seized Harry around the neck and sobbed unrestrainedly into his shoulder. Harry felt two large thumps as Fred and George hit them; then Angelina's, Alicia's, and Katie's voices, "We've won the Cup! We've won the Cup!" Tangled together in a many-armed hug, the Gryffindor team sank, yelling hoarsely, back to earth.

Wave upon wave of crimson supporters was pouring over the barriers onto the field. Hands were raining down on their backs. Harry had a confused impression of noise and bodies pressing in on him. Then he, and the rest of the team, were hoisted onto the shoulders of the crowd. Thrust into the light, he saw Hagrid, Plastered with crimson rosettes - "Yeh beat 'em, Harry, yeh beat 'em! Wait till I tell Buckbeak!"

There was Percy, jumping up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten. Professor McGonagall was sobbing harder even than Wood, wiping her eyes with an enormous Gryffindor flag; Harry was borne toward the stands, where Dumbledore stood waiting with the enormous Quidditch Cup.

A sobbing Wood passed Harry the Cup, as he lifted it into the air, Harry felt he could have produced the world's best Patronus.

The entire Gryffindor team and Harry went to see Gienah after the match. They postponed the celebration for the evening not feeling right without their seeker. Gienah was feeling faint but conscious. Hermione and Ron sat around her when they came in. She was silently crying. When she saw Wood she broke down completely.

Wood walked over to her and hugged her.

"I'm so sorry. I lost the match because… Pomfrey said I went into starvation mode. Loss of muscle mass- And- I - I didn't even think!"

"Gen" Wood grinned. "You didn't lose the match. We won."

"What?" Gienah said weakly.

Harry came forward from the back holding the Quidditch Cup.

"I believe this is yours." Harry said sheepishly.

Gienah began crying again and it wasn't out of grief.

She hugged Harry and whispered "You did it. You caught the snitch Harry."

Gienah was forced to remain at the hospital wing for a week being fed nutrition potions and having homework brought to her. Snape had reluctantly come to offer her tuition for her exams. she hadn't told her friends what she was planning to do in fear that they'd try to stop her.

"Does the headmaster know that you are planning to abandon your post next week?" Gienah asked.

"No." Snape said without a trace of shame. "I have never taken a sick day off in my life. I'm sure he'll manage to find a suitable cover."

Gienah chuckled.

"You're charms theory is abysmal and don't get me started on herbology. Ancient Runes is passable. Everything else you could stop revising now and probably still get Outstanding. But you'll miss first spot competing with Granger."

"I think it'll be good for her." Gienah said after a pause.

"That is not the kind of talk I want to hear from any student of mine." Snarled Snape.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you?" Cedric had just come through the hospital wing.

"I have just finished with the insolent girl, Diggory. She's all yours." Snape walked off, his cloak billowing behind him.

"One day I want to do a dramatic exit just like that." Gienah smiled as Cedric leaned in for a kiss.

"He does do a good turn and strut" Cedric agreed. "How long have we got?"

Gienah checked her watch.

"Twenty minutes"

Cedric grinned and closed the curtains around her.

The next day Gienah was released from the hospital and felt her strength return to her. She was too busy to dwell too much on her father and Hermione, Harry and Ron took it in turns to make sure she was eating.

Gienah took all her written exams that Friday, she was excused from her lessons by permission of the potions master and she told everyone else she had to speak with aurors concerning her father's disappearance. In reality the ministry had done nothing more than send her a letter concerning procedure with missing wizards and done nothing on the protocol.

The history of magic paper couldn't have gone any smoother. There were two essay questions. One on medieval witch hunts and the other on the vampire clan wars. She struggled with charms but managed to finish on time. Herbology was a disaster. Ancient Runes was more difficult than her mocks but the others she could have done in her sleep.

Gienah finished at seven that evening and rather than wait to meet Cedric down at the entrance hall she went to Hufflepuff basement where she saw their entrance for the first time. She waited for someone to come through before smiling sweetly and stepping inside. It was light and airy with a gold and yellow carpet rather than Gryffindor's deep reds and mahogany. Cedric was walking down the stairs and blinked when he saw Gienah standing by the door.

"How did you get in?" Cedric said eventually, walking up to her for a kiss.

"I have my ways" She smiled tiredly.

"Why are you here?" Cedric asked, stroking her hair.

"Well I had planned to crash and burn in my dormitory but Friday nights date night so I thought I could crash and burn in your dormitory instead."

"Hmm" Cedric kissed her again. "When you say crash and burn…"

"Pft" Gienah said as she walked up the stairs he had come down from. "I'm exhausted so can we please go to bed."

A sixth year boy looked at her and Cedric with eyebrows raised as they passed. Cedric grinned sheepishly.

"Where is everyone?" Gienah asked suspiciously entering the dormitory in the same style as the common room. Cedric had the neatest space with posters of Puddlemere United and a colour coded revision timetable. There were photos of his family on the bedside table and a few books by a wizarding author she'd never heard of.

She felt an arm snake around her waist and she was on the bed on top of Cedric. He waved his wand and the hangings were drawn. Gienah felt her beat faster. They hadn't done anything as intimate as that day in the shrieking shack which now felt ages ago. But they were in his bed. Alone. Cedric seemed to be thinking the same thing before sighing and putting her gently beside him and pulling the covers. Gienah looked at him a little confused.

"You look exhausted" Cedric said and he stepped out of the bed and came back in wearing pyjama bottoms but no shirt. Gienah stared.

"Wow." She said softly.

Cedric blushed.

"I- ur- normally sleep shirtless but I could find an old t-shirt" Cedric was about to leave the bed when Gienah stopped him.

"I think I can control herself." Gienah pouted.

"Ok but you need a t-shirt." He left and returned with a grey t-shirt and looked at her.

"Urm, Cedric" Gienah said with a blush. "I need to change."

"Right" Cedric turned around and she quickly stripped and put on his t-shirt that smelled like peppermint and clean soap. Cedric turned around, his gaze lingering on her bare legs covered mid-thigh.

Cedric pulled her into bed and brought a book out, while she rest her head on his bare chest and traced the abs on his torso. Eventually she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning she woke up to Cedric's arms locked around stomach, his lips against her shoulder and their legs entangled. She closed her eyes and relished in the smell of him, the feel of him against her and how safe she felt in his arms. She quietly tried to extract herself from their twisted limbs but he grumbled and drew her even closer.

"Gienah" Cedric whispered. Gienah smiled and supposed a few more hours couldn't hurt.

Gienah woke up every hour or so, until seven where she dragged herself away from Cedric as her first exam was at nine.

"Were you going to leave me without a kiss?" Cedric said groggily.

Gienah was dressed but he looked too adorable. Cedric gave her his hand and she returned to bed for a few minutes more. She was enjoying his lips leaving hers and heading for her pulse point when she felt him against thigh. Cedric was breathing heavily and his hands were dangerously up her leg.

"I need to go" Gienah said with difficulty, he looked so beautiful in the morning she thought. His grey eyes heavy with sleep and his hair far from his usual perfection.

"Fine" he groaned. "But I propose we change Friday night date night to crash and burn every week."

"We'll discuss it with the board." Gienah kissed his cheek and left before he could keep her hostage.

Potions required the brewing of the Confusing Concoction, Herbology she was required to correctly trim and harvest a number of dangerous plants. Defence Against the Dark Arts was the most unusual. Professor Ambrogio had compiled the most unusual exam; a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a Grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way across a patch of marsh while ignoring misleading directions from a Hinkypunk, then climb into an old trunk and battle with a new Boggart.

At six she went down into the dungeons and knocked on Snape's office.

"Enter." He called.

Gienah opened the door excitedly and saw Snape writing a letter on his desk.

"I will meet you at the headmaster's office at nine tonight, be packed for a week's journey." Snape dismissed her.

Gienah was already packed since three nights ago so she spent half an hour figuring out how to explain her sudden departure when Hermione came in to get a book she'd forgotten in the library.

"Gienah?"

Gienah turned around and looked guiltily at Hermione.

"I'm - I need to talk to you, Harry and Ron."

Hermione looked at her in a jumper and dark jeans with her fur cloak flung over her shoulder and a small trunk in her hand.

"Where are you going?" Hermione said sadly.

"Where are Harry and Ron?"

"Downstairs but-" Hermione followed after Gienah forgetting her book yet again.

"Gen?" Harry looked up and down at her. She was wearing her dragon hide boots.

"I'm leaving in an hour and I need to say bye to Cedric." Gienah said quickly. "Hopefully it'll be no more than a week but I can't be sure. I need to find him. I can't sit here and wait around for Sirius to get back with good news. If anything happened, I'd never forgive myself"

Gienah was trying so hard not to cry, then Harry hugged her and said "I understand" and she fell apart. Hermione was sobbing in Ron's shoulder when she finally left them and walked down to the Hufflepuff basement. Cedric was going to be the worst she sighed.

"Gienah?" She turned and saw Cedric on the stairs. "Where are you going?"

"I was just going to see you and then - I'm leaving Hogwarts Cedric. I need to find him."

"You can't" Cedric said, taking her hands in his. "Your father is after him, it is not your responsibility."

"If you think that you don't know me at all!" Gienah said, tears falling once more. "How can he not be? Is there anyone else who loves him more than I do?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Cedric was kissing her face, repeatedly. "When are you leaving?"

"In an hour."

"And you're packed?"

Gienah nodded.

"Let's go for a walk." Cedric said, holding her hand a little tighter than usual.

They didn't go far. They walked a little while by the grounds and she confessed how she had done her exams in the last two days and that she was going with Snape.

"Where will you be going?"

"Snape is in contact with Sirius, so we might be meeting him. It might be a werewolf hate campaign or they be caged to be used for illegal trade. I think Remus had most likely infiltrated the black market and was either discovered as being undercover or a werewolf." Gienah's voice was tearing up and he hugged her again.

"Please look after yourself." Cedric pleaded.

"I'll be with Snape" Gienah laughed shakily. "Who wants to mess with that overgrown bat?"

Cedric chuckled and walked her to the headmasters office. Gienah wiped her tears. It would do no good crying before her departure. They'd leave her to rot.

"Lemon drop?" The gargoyle remained where it was.

"Sugar quill, chocolate frogs, licorice wand, fizzing whizbee" Gienah reeled off. "Blood-flavoured lollipop".

The gargoyle jumped out of the way. Gienah smiled despite herself and was taken to the door. She knocked and heard a tired voice call her to come in.

Dumbledore was facing his large window. Fawkes came over to her and pecked her on the head affectionately. Snape was standing by the fireplace.

"Urm, have I inturrupted something?"

"No, no my dear girl" The headmaster turned and looked down at Gienah. "Just discussing a few finer details. Are you ready, Gienah?"

"Yes, professor" Gienah said with a brave smile.

"I must ask you to obey Professor Snape's every order and to not needlessly place yourself in danger." The headmaster looked at with grim concern.

"Yes sir" Gienah said though she didn't like the idea.

"Severus is placing himself at personal risk to assist you." Dumbledore stressed. "Do not jeopardise your mission."

Gienah nodded.

"Do not waste another word Albus" Snape said, with a severe look at Gienah. "She will act as she pleases. Salazar knows what I'm thinking. It'll be a suicide mission with her in tow."

"If anything I'm glad out of any guardian I have I'm glad it's you" Gienah said furiously. "Then maybe I can prove my worth!"

Snape shook his head.

"She has your flair for the dramatics" Snape said. "Typical Gryffindor sentiment."

Dumbledore chuckled.

"Flair for dramatics?" Gienah raised an eyebrow. "This coming from the master of the turn and strut?"

Snape sneered.

"Enough."

He entered the fireplace and said "Lupin Cottage".

Gienah followed and threw the dust on the floor and repeated the same thing.

"Good luck" She heard as she was pulled away and entered in her familiar childhood home.


	26. A Lion in a Nest of Snakes

Chapter Thirty: **A Lion in a Nest of Snakes**

The second week of January Lupin was still waiting for C.C. to approach him. He thought of finding Carmichael, the werewolf hunter. It was something he mulled over again and again, always coming to the same conclusion; it was too dangerous. Gienah's face haunted him every time he decided it was the only way forward.

It was a Monday afternoon, two days following the full moon and it had been the most painful transformation to date. He wasn't sure why but his ribs were cracked in the process, something that hadn't happened since he was an adolescent. He was lying on his bed. Something he was doing a lot these days.

There was a knock on the door. Lupin panicked. He had been staying at Dungs for the last three weeks exactly to avoid this.

"I know you're in there" Came a ruffled, hurt voice. "Lulu said she'd owl me when you were in."

"What?" Lupin roared. "You two are conspiring against me!"

"Darling, we can either continue having this conversation between doors and have the entire inn hear what I have to say or you can let me in. Your choice." She said quite reasonably for a death eater.

"Oh Mary Jane!" It was the prostitute, Candice or Candy or Clementine. "How _are_ you?"

"Fine" Bellatrix drawled. "Harper won't let me in."

"Harper!" The prostitute banged on his door. "You get out here right now. This is no way to treat a lady."

Lupin refused to move.

"Women are conspiring against me!" He shouted.

"Women me arse! Face 'er like a man!" Came his very male neighbour from next door.

The door rattled. Lupin reluctantly walked to the door and opened it. His face was red.

"That wasn't so hard was it sugar muffin" Bellatrix said with a smile. The prostitute glared at him before turning away with a hmph.

Bellatrix came in and sat on his bed. Lupin closed the door and she took off her amulet. Her features morphed and seconds later she was a woman every news read person would recognize with a ten thousand galleon bounty hung over her head. Bellatrix Black was also rather beautiful. Looking at her didn't help hating her.

"What have you got to say?" Lupin got straight to the point.

"Maybe you'd like to sit down." She patted at the space beside her.

"I'm fine thanks" He said coldly.

"I'm pregnant" Bellatrix smiled, holding her stomach. "I had the potion two weeks ago."

Growing up as a man, there is one thing that all men share and have had their father drill into them from the age they learnt to masturbate. Don't get the girl pregnant. The first spell any boy learns to do wandless is the contraceptive spell. It was every man's worst nightmare. Course, there were exceptions. Sirius had cried from happiness. This, however, was not one of those exceptions.

"With my baby?" Lupin said weakly, his hands on his mouth.

"Why else would I be telling you?" Bellatrix said, rolling her eyes. "I must say, I thought you'd be happier."

"I'm having a baby with a death eater" Lupin said to himself in disbelief.

"Ex-death eater thank you very much" She said, picking off a lint off her robes. "Now, I can't be pregnant looking like a hag. I thought you could help me pick a new identity."

"Why?" Lupin said.

"It'll look a bit odd having a baby looking like a hag." Bellatrix said as if it were obvious.

"I mean, why me?" Lupin said a little louder.

"Why you what?"

"Why did you want my baby? Why are you here? Why do you want me to help you?"

"I thought it was obvious" Bellatrix said quietly.

"What?" Lupin asked, pacing in the little space he had.

"I love you".

Lupin stared.

"You don't-" Lupin shook his head and let out a bitter laugh. "You do not love me. You don't know how to love. And no one loves me. I'm a werewolf."

"Your daughter loves you" Bellatrix retorted hotly. "And I'm telling you that I love you. I do know how to love. I loved Tom for years. I killed for him. I sold my soul to the devil for love."

"Bellatrix…"

"You listen to me Remus John Lupin, I fell for you the day you said that I deserved my happy ending. No one, listen to me Remus! No one has ever said that to me. You had to make your way in the world. That's what I was told. You determine your own fate. If you fucked up, that was all on you. Nothing about desert. And I decided to have your baby when I told you I was a murderer and you didn't flinch. You said there was more to the bad wolf behind the amber eye. I'm a fugitive, you're a werewolf. We're outcasts. The pariah of the wizarding world! We understand each other."

"The difference is, I didn't choose to be a werewolf. You chose to be a death eater. I live my fate for someone else's evil act. You live yours in consequence to yours." Lupin said coldly. "Don't you dare say that we are anything alike".

Bellatrix's lip quivered.

"What are you saying Remus?"

Lupin had his back to her.

"You are going to leave me to raise our baby alone?" Bellatrix put her chin forward, attempting to keep her tears from shedding. "You won't even be civil about this? You don't have to love me. Love her."

Lupin walked out the door.

Lupin sat at a filthy bar that even the regulars at Knockturn Alley turned their noses up at. He looked at the state of the glasses and asked for a bottle of whisky instead and sat in the corner wondering how he ended up there. Right at that point of his life. A few months ago he was the headmaster of a school, he was living with his childhood best friend and had a beautiful girl and a boy who was as good as his son. It wasn't perfect. There was no special woman in his life but he was more than a little well off and the ministry were off his back as Romulus Lupin. Now he was liable for a term in Azkaban and had impregnated a death eater.

A man entered and the three people in the bar looked up all thinking the same thing; why the hell would you come and drink in this hovel? The man wore an expensive looking cloak, had his black hair tied back in an attempt at an aristocratic look but his hair was a touch too glassy and his shoes a touch too polished. The nouveau riche. A common phenomena in Knockturn Alley. He looked around and saw Lupin seated in the corner.

Lupin looked at his face and tried to remain neutral. Inside he was shitting himself. He casually reached for his pocket and clutched his wand as he finished his drink. He got up but the man was already right in front of him.

"Sorry I have somewhere to be." Lupin said quickly but was stopped by the affronted looking man.

"I don't think you do Harper."

Lupin sighed but he wasn't safe.

"I'm C.C. I believe you've been awaiting our meeting" He had an oily voice and bird like features. He could not believe this man hunted werewolves. "Please, sit down."

"Ah, my apologies." Lupin smiled at the man hoping it did not look too frozen. "If I knew that- here"

Lupin shook his hand.

"Now, Lee Harper. Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? What brought you underground and where do you want to go?"

Lupin relaxed. He really did have no idea who he was.

"Where do I start?" Lupin laughed nervously.

The meeting had gone somewhat successfully. For what it was. Carmichael did not seem like a tyrant but when he spoke of werewolves he really did deem them nothing more than a social problem and he had no issue exploiting it. He remained tight lipped about his sources when Lupin had 'confessed' he had a werewolf who owed him a debt so he gave him a small cut of his profits. Carmichael seemed to dislike the fact that the werewolf had a cut at all. Carmichael left two hours later and Lupin walked aimlessly down the alley feeling like he had spent the last few months getting nowhere at all. Unless becoming a professional burglar counted for anything…

Lupin stopped and felt a light bulb flash. Of course! What he did have exposable money, and a lot of it. And if money speaks, he would just have to find the right seller. If Carmichael was getting the werewolf blood for free, and down to the unlikelihood of the werewolf freely volunteering his blood he must have illegal access to a captured werewolf. Seeing as Nicholas Akachi was also missing, what were the odds? Someone was making a lucrative profit by selling werewolves. All Lupin had to do was advertise.

 _C.C._

 _It was good to talk to someone in the trade, let's meet again sometime. I guess you know I'm staying at the Gobbler._

 _I need a favour from your Carl. I have a friend who wants to get himself to an unlimited supply of werewolf blood if you catch my drift. He has more money than sense and I could negotiate a generous price for you for a 5% cut._

 _Hope to hear from you soon,_

 _Harper_

 _Moony mate,_

 _I'm sick of these microwave meals. Come home._

 _Padfoot_

Lupin ended up going to Dung's place that evening, a small muggle apartment in East London with a lift that smelt heavily like a public portaloo. Course, he wasn't home but he wouldn't be disturbed. He had brought a book with him. Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky. Sitting in Dung's filth on his threadbare carpet chain smoking fat cigars and drinking Dung's best liquor he felt he could relate only too well Raskolnikov. He hadn't eaten since the salted nuts he ate ate at the pub and felt his stomach was begin to digest itself but he read on, devouring the psychological detail, wondering if maybe he could be a writer and write about chronic poverty as Dostoyevsky had. Two in the morning he put the book down and walked into the kitchen and grimaced. Dung was either keeping a body in the pantry or some poor animal had crawled into this hell hole and died. Lupin cast a few cleaning spells and left the kitchen thinking any food would be contaminated by the stench. Stomach rumbling he wondered if a muggle take-away might be open someplace. He was in Whitechapel, minutes away from the high street. Prostitutes hang around the corners and drunk homeless men. Within minutes who saw a bright sign saying pizza till late. Remus's stomach growled. He ordered three pizzas, garlic bread, chicken wings and shamelessly brought a meat eater pizza thinking what Gienah didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Half an hour later he returned and scarfed down a few pieces from each pizza, the entire garlic bread and one chicken wing before he was sated. Placing a stasis charm on the rest of the food on the one tiny table in the living room. Some time when the sun started peaking through Lupin had fallen asleep.

"You bin 'ere all this time Harper?" Lupin turned onto his front but was poked again.

"Harper" Dung's putrid breath was much too close for his health.

"Wot?" Lupin said into his makeshift pillow - a large volume by Dostoyevsky.

"Nufink, wondered if ye wanted to come to the pub wiv us." Dung said. "Mary Jane'll be there."

"Hmph." Lupin decided on a hell bent no.

"Aight mate, ya know where we are if ya change ur mind." Dung said before disapparating.

Lupin lay there for an hour, staring at the ceiling, then another hour on his front, staring at the wall.

He had to be a noble Gryffindor.

A lion wearing a snake costume.

Would Gryffindor abandon his unborn child?

Lupin sat up.

Surely he had a duty to his baby. Whoever he had conceived it with. If he was going into fatherhood he'd do it properly. Lyall had failed him. He would not fail his child.

Lupin stood up and walked to the shower that looked like it'd leave him for dirty than clean. A scourgify later Lupin was under the steaming shower, thinking of what he'd say, how they'd move forward, what kind of arrangement they'd have to make.

Lupin changed his t-shirt and jeans into a clean white shirt and grey trousers he'd found at the back of his wardrobe. He shaved his beard and splashed a little of the least offensive cologne in Dung's collection on his face and stepped back from the mirror. He conjured a small bouquet of wild flowers and tied it with a black ribbon. It would have to do. Lupin smiled. He was going to be a father again. And this time he wouldn't miss a single thing.

Lupin apparated to Diagon Alley, stopped at Sugarplum's to buy Bellatrix's favourite, a deluxe box of Cockroach Clusters, and walked into Knockturn Alley. Lupin breathed in deeply before he pushed open the door. It was crowded, as usual for this time. He couldn't see if she was there yet so he weaved through the crowd and sure enough Dung and Mary Jane were at their usual table with two of the locals and the prostitute. Mary Jane saw him before he saw her. Lupin could now see how wrong the disguise was. The way she twirled her wand in too dexterous fingers, her lips poking out as she rested her chin on her hand. Her eyes quick and dangerous.

Lupin smiled sheepishly.

Bellatrix raised an eyebrow. Saw the flowers in his hands and the Sugarplum's box under his arm. Bellatrix stood up and ran over to him and kissed him openly in the middle of the crowded pub. A few men started jeering. Dung was chuckling to himself.

"I'm sorry." Lupin said. "I don't want to be my father. I will stand by you every step of the way. I will love you and our child-"

"How sweet." An oily voice whispered in his ear. "Remus Lupin."

Lupin froze, grabbed his wand but it was no longer in his pocket.

"Looking for this?" Carmichael laughed as he pointed his wand to the back of his neck.

It was too noisy. Bellatrix only saw a man speaking into Lupin's ear and Lupin's eyes harden and his lips curl into a grimace.

"Remus?" Bellatrix came forward, then saw the wand pressed against his neck and snarled.

"Drop it" Bellatrix hissed, pointing her wand at Carmichael's head. Carmichael looked at her amusingly.

"Really?" Carmichael laughed with genuine amusement. "This hag? She's having you on Harper. She's as pregnant as I am."

Bellatrix growled. She could have killed him in a second. Flash of green light and she'd be left with the father of her unborn child. But Remus would hate her. So she hesitated. In that second Carmichael froze Bellatrix and forcefully took Remus with his hands locked behind his back outside into the alley. Lupin didn't attempt to struggle, hoping to take him off guard.

Carmichael apparated and Lupin loosened his grip as they pressed into the fabric of space and appeared in an empty cellar, stone walls and one barred door. Lupin however didn't take the time to note his surroundings.

Lupin punched Carmichael in the face. He staggered back, holding his bleeding nose. He'd dropped his wand but Lupin wanted to hurt him with his bare hands. Lupin ran after him and pinned his throat to the wall. Carmichael was slowly being suffocated to his death. The werewolf in him relished in having such power. Lupin however told himself it was out of necessity. The last thing he would see was Lupin's black eyes.

"Stupefy".

Lupin woke up with his wrists and ankles in shackles in a fetal position on the floor.

"Rise and shine, sunshine" It was a soft voice in a mocking tone.

Lupin opened his eyes with some difficult. He felt a glass pressed to his mouth and he reluctantly drank, choking the water down his throat.

"Is he awake?" Carmichael's voice asked.

"Just rising." The woman said. "He's quite handsome."

"He's a werewolf." Carmichael snarled.

"Hmm." The woman said. "Doesn't make him less appealing."

"Phil's on his way." Carmichael sounded worried. "Don't know what we're doing with him."

"You're not taking him to Billy's?"

"Do you realize who this is?"

"Remus Lupin".

"Yes Remus Lupin, friend of Sirius Black!"

" _The_ Lord Black?" The woman asked. "The dark handsome one who won Bachelor of the Year in Witch Weekly?"

"More importantly" Carmichael snapped. "Filthy rich and an ex-hit wizard."

"Why did you capture him in the first place then?"

"He was sniffing around, looking to buy a werewolf." Carmichael said.

"You could have led him the wrong direction" The woman said with a sigh. "You aren't going to kill him are ya? I don't think Black's the type to give up easily. He'll have your head on a platter."

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Carmichael" A voice came from further away. Lupin remained deadly still.

"Phillip my man." Carmichael said a little nervously.

"You wanted to see me about a wolf?"

"I've another one for you."

"Who is he?"

"Lee Harp-"

"Remu-"

They had both spoken at once.

"Lee Harper" Carmichael said quickly. "A lowly crook in the trade business. No one'll miss 'im."

"We don't really need a third werewolf." Phillip said.

"You have the werewolves fight in the cage, right? They get scratched up pretty bad so put them in rotation so one can recover. And you've got more werewolf blood to sell."

"How much you askin'" The man asked after a pause.

"A thousand."

"Seven hundred."

"The man's in his prime Phillip." Carmichael tried to reason.

"I'll teach ya sumfin called supply and demand Carl. We don't need the third wolf, if ya wana sell it you gota make the price attractive." Phil made to leave.

"Seven fifty."

"Seven hundred."

There was a tense silence.

"Fine" Carmichael sighed.

Lupin heard Phillip's footsteps draw nearer and turn him over.

"Fine lookin' man." Phillip said.

"That's wha' I said!" The woman said. "Pity he'll be locked up. Bet he had a pretty little lady."

"He's a werewolf" Carmichael snarled again.

"Ooh I don't know Carl, they're not much werewolf every other day of the month" The woman said, now sounding further away.

Lupin felt himself become weightless, floating in the air. Remus risked opening his eyes. He was floating down a short corridor with a few more prisons. They went up a flight of stairs and through a dreary corridor and into a small office plastered with mug shots and surveillance photos. There was a lunar calendar by the fire place. He was violently released from the spell and crashed onto the floor and was grabbed by the scruff of his shirt and shoved into the fireplace.

Lupin hit his head on the wall of the fireplace and groaned.

"Billie's Carnival" Philip said gruffly and the fireplace span out of sight.

"What did Carl want?" Lupin opened his eyes and saw he was in a round mismatched office.

"Meet Lee Harper"

Lupin was thrown to the floor.

"Let's have a look."

A round fat man sat behind a desk with a triple chin and blonde hair slicked to the side.

"Brought him for seven hundred." Lupin finally looked upon the man who'd brought him. Phillip was a large, burly man with no hair on his head but hair everywhere else. He had his arms crossed in front of him and he wore a sharp suit but left his top buttons undone. He didn't look at Lupin, but straight at his boss. The man was extremely composed.

"Werewolf?" The fat man leaned back in his chair which creaked at the readjusted weight. "Phillip, what are we meant to do with a third werewolf? We're not starting a pack."

"The werewolf fights leave them weak. If we allow one to recover for two months we'll get more out of all three. There's also more werewolf blood."

"Is there a high demand for werewolf blood?"

"Carmichael will buy and he'll find the right markets. That is not our concern."

"It is our concern when we do not make a profit in keeping more creatures than is necessary. But the werewolf is in fine shape. I won't deny he is an… impressive specimen."

Lupin kept his bewilderment hidden.

"Lead him to the cage" The large man sighed, resting his many ringed fingers on his round stomach.

Phillip nodded and grabbed Lupin's arms and pushed him forward. Phillip didn't use much more force than was necessary and was largely professional. Though he didn't seem that bothered when Lupin stumbled. Lupin walked out of the office and saw that he was in fact in a small tent, enlarged on the inside. They were on a mountain ledge and it was raining. Lupin relished the smell of fresh air and rain. They were walking towards a larger tent, brightly coloured in red and yellow pinstripes.

Werewolf cafe fighting, Billie's Carnival… Lupin felt like he was going to be sick.

Inside there were rows against rows of cages. Lupin saw a dragon stooped within a three metre wide cage, barely enough space to stretch his wings. This could not be legal. If Gienah ever saw this… it didn't bare thinking about.

"You'll be sharing a cage with one of the werewolves" Philipp finally said. "You'll get your own once the paperworks gone through I suppose. We feed the creatures three times a day. If you're any trouble we will take the necessary precautions. Don't say we didn't warn you. Understand wolf?"

"Yes sir" Lupin said with gritted teeth.

They finally stopped at a cage towards the back of the tent. There was a man sleeping on the cage floor with a thing dirty blanket over him. Philip opened the cage door with a heavy iron key and shoved him in.

"What no ensuite?"

Lupin was convinced that he saw a flicker of smile on Philip's face.

"We hope you enjoy your stay at Billie's Carnival"

Lupin snorted.

Philip walked away and Lupin was left like a caged animal.

"A cellmate!" The man that had been sleeping said happily. "Well that's new."

Lupin turned and saw a man he'd recognized from the papers. Nicholas Akachi. A young werewolf of about fifteen years of age. A year older than Gienah. He was scrawny looking. His golden brown skin were covered in scars and scratches. Cursed werewolf wounds. Lupin had his fair share of them too but they were old and healed. Akachi's scars were all recent or a year old at the most.

"Nicholas Akachi" Lupin said sadly. "You're alive."

"A better fate to have died if I were honest with you" Akachi smiled. He had big honey coloured doe eyes, and a dimple on his left cheek when he smiled. His dark matted brown hair came to his shoulders.

"Is the third wolf Marcus Blott?" Lupin asked softly.

Akachi's smile faltered.

"Nicholas" Lupin pleaded.

"Marcus killed himself months ago." Akachi whispered. "He couldn't bare it. Refused to eat. Eventually strangled himself."

"No", Lupin fell to his knees.

"Was he a friend of years?"

"A long time ago." Lupin said, a lone tear falling from his cheeks. "Nicholas, we need to get out of here. Tell me everything you know about this place."

"There's no escaping. They have wards alerting the management around the tent and a watchguard 24/7. During the day the keepers are here from nine to seven feeding the creatures. The cage is made of iron and the locks are magical."

"There must be a way" Lupin muttered, rattling the cage door.

"By all means give it a try. Nothing else to do around here." Akachi said.

"How does the carnival work?"

"We're the tent of dark and dangerous beasts. It doesn't normally look like this. We tour round the continent. We have weeks of just sitting around like storage then we do a week or two in one place or another. If I wasn't locked in here I'd have enjoyed it. It's one of the largest carnivals in the world."

"Don't the ministry regulate the creatures?"

"Yeah, but we're locked away when they do."

"And the werewolf cage fights?"

"Oh that's not the carnival. That's like a sport for the people that come in. They bet on the werewolves."

"Who's the third werewolf?"

"Benjamin Figg" Akachi said. "Old man's nearing his fifties. Can see why they'd want some fresh blood. How'd you get caught?"

"Was looking for Marcus. Went undercover and got found out by Carmichael." Lupin said.

"Ooh that guy gives me the creeps." Akachi said.

"Do they feed you alright?"

"Yeah, but tastes awful. Sometimes we get leftovers from the hotdog stands." Akachi said licking his lips. "Ms. Carter's real nice. She slips me comic books sometimes and chocolate frogs. She's the fortune teller. She has a daughter, Olivia who gets bored and comes to take care of the creatures and sometimes we talk for hours and hours…"

Lupin put his hands on the bars as Akachi talked on and on, clearly craving company. He was too late and now he was trapped.

That night was cold and damp. He lay on the cold floor and listened to the rain hitting the tent. If he hadn't been kept there against his will the sound would have been therapeutic. He closed his eyes and thought of the night with Bellatrix. Was he in love with Mary Jane? Had she not been a fugitive and they'd met in more ordinary circumstances would they have fallen in love? Or was it their unconventional lives which drew them to each other? Bellatrix was ruthless and dangerous and patronizing. She was beautiful and fierce and completely and utterly mad. What more, she was pregnant with his child. Soon her breasts would be swollen and her stomach round with pregnancy. She'd have odd food cravings and back problems and complain about her ankles. She'd order Lupin around while she put her feet up. He'd dote on her and love her and kiss her feet and her stomach. He'd watch her writhing under him as big as a house.

He had to get out of here. No way in hell he was missing all that.


	27. Finding Remus

Chapter Thirty-One: **Finding Remus**

Gienah had barely stepped out of the fireplace when she felt the wind getting knocked out of her.

"Dad" Gienah gasped.

"Gienah", Sirius murmured, holding her head to his chest.

"I don't think being left here alone is good for you" Gienah laughed weakly with a shaken voice.

Sirius drew her chin forward and saw tears falling rapidly from her eyes.

"We'll find him Gienah" Sirius promised her, placing her hand to his mouth and kneeling before her.

Gienah gave him a watery smile and raised her eyes to her father's handsome face and had complete faith in him.

"When I find who's taken him I'll rip him limb by limb" Gienah said, raising her chin defiantly. "And feed it to the dogs."

"That's my girl" Sirius grinned, he ruffled her hair proudly.

"Are we done with our happy reunion?" Came Snape's drawl.

Gienah and Sirius turned and saw Snape was standing uncomfortably by the liquor cabinet. Though his mouth curled into a sneer, his eyes gave him away. Snape's heart would give, himself and everything, to be loved like that.

Gienah ran to Snape and hugged him around the waist. Snape exhaled and looked at Sirius who folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. Snape brought his eyes down to the dark head resting on his chest and hesitantly drew a hand to the crown of her head and placed another around her back. He'd not been hugged like that since Draco was seven years of age.

Gienah let go and looked up at her potions master with so much trust and faith he recalled the words he'd received on Christmas Eve and on instinct he kneeled before her and bowed his head showing such deference and loyalty Gienah from that day forward believed she could trust this man with her existence.

"Adenydd, daughter of Kantrava, I pledge to you my allegiance. My life is yours if you will have it." Snape said humbly.

"Rise, Severus, son of Tobias and Prince heir." Gienah said with a smile, placing her hand on the crowd of his head. "I will, and in return I offer you my protection."

"Do I want to know what that was?" Sirius asked. "Must I bow before you too, my lady?"

Gienah rolled her eyes at Sirius's elaborate bow.

"What do we know?" Gienah asked.

"I need a stiff drink." Sirius said. "It's going to be a long night."

"Scotch for me." Snape requested.

"I'd never had you down for a scotch man." Sirius said pouring two glasses of scotch from the cabinet. "Remus brought this for my birthday."

They moved to the library upstairs where Sirius had a huge board put up with notes and newspaper articles, letters and photographs.

"Remus went under the alias of Lee Harper." Sirius began. "He's been staying at The Gobbler in knockturn alley. He's spent a fair amount of time with Mundungus Fletcher. The idiot didn't recognize Remus from years back." Sirius pointed at a ginger man on the board. "He disappeared seven weeks ago at the inn. Carmichael-" Sirius pointed at a black haired man. "- appears to have taken him out of the inn by force and apparated to god knows where. Another suspicious person goes by the name of Mary Jane. Disappeared that same night. No one knows where she lives, only that she'd begun spending most evenings at the inn since October. No records at the ministry for a name of Mary Jane of her age."

"Where's Carmichael?" Snape asked.

"Gone underground. Out of the country according to his office for a holiday. I reckon he knows we're after him. Who knows if he really has gone."

"I've been spending the last three weeks in various inns and pubs in Knockturn Alley under polyjuice potion and that's about the extent of the intel I've gathered. Oh and it's highly likely Lee Harper is Silver Fang." Sirius said proudly.

"The fuck?" Gienah stood up, her hair sparking.

"Language" Sirius said sternly. "Yup. Good ol' Remus has been robbing death eaters and donating thousands to various charities. The school got a generous donation a few months ago, oh and we're considerably richer."

"Stupid werewolf" growled Gienah.

"He needed the gold to infiltrate the black market. Otherwise he'd never have got a meeting with Carmichael. He reckon he's big fish. Oily bastard."

"Language" Gienah said smugly.

Sirius ignored him.

"Sniv- Severus" Sirius corrected himself. "You're good at reading people. Go to Carmichael's offices tomorrow and find out anything about how the werewolves are dealt with. Gienah, go with him. Stay on his persons at all times."

Gienah nodded.

"I'm going to see if I can get a trail off Dung and see where out slippery friend has gone." Sirius said grimly. "I don't know what else we can do."

"What would they even _do_ with werewolves? I get taking their blood but it seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to." Gienah said.

"There are certain… sports I've heard takes place with such creatures." Snape said with hesitation. "Werewolf cage fighting."

Gienah hissed.

"Who runs the fights?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know. Lucius went once, years ago. I'll ask him." Snape said. "Obviously we know it will take place on the full moon. One week from today."

"I'll see if I can pick anything up from Knockturn Alley tomorrow." Sirius said with a frown.

"The plan, once we know his location?" Gienah asked, still feeling a little sick of the image of forcing werewolves in cages to fight each other.

"Ambush. Short and swift recapture. I've got word from Mad Eye, Hagrid, Andromeda, Arthur and Xeno."

"Right- I'm off" Snape finished his drink. "Severus, you're welcome to the guest room."

"Dad?" Gienah said with a frown.

"I'm staying in Harper's room. I need to be consistent." Sirius said, kissing her forehead. "There are microwave meals in the fridge."

Sirius walked out of the library.

"Why did I pack if I was returning home?"

"I wasn't sure where we'd be going." Snape admitted. "I was planning to do the same thing as Black but he refused to place you in that kind of danger."

Gienah sighed.

"I'll show you to your room" Gienah said, guiding him up the stairs. "Here you are. There's a bathroom on this floor as well. Night professor."

"Night Gienah."

Gienah went to her attic room, looked around with a small smile and walked to her desk where there were several photos of Lupin and her. She picked up her favourite. Lupin was pushing her on a swing when she was about five years old and he was laughing as she screamed. She pressed her lips against the cool glass of the frame and lay in bed with the frame against her heart.

Gienah woke up to the smell of coffee brewing. Her heart ached as she recalled her summer, waking up to Sirius whistling and Lupin's home cooking. She changed and picked Vanajakshi and placed her on her wrist and walked down stairs.

"Good morning" Gienah said cheerfully as she poured herself a coffee. Snape was dressed and reading the newspaper. He only had his coffee in front of him.

"Breakfast?" Gienah asked.

Snape ignored her. Gienah shook her head and opened the fridge and widened her eyes. Nothing! How had Sirius been living… Then she saw the recycling bin overflowing with microwave meal containers, and takeaways.

"We need to go shopping."

"Exactly why I left my job" Snape said. "To play house with the Black's".

Gienah took a shrunken apple from the fruit bowl and reluctantly took a bite.

"Ugh, I'm done. Can we get breakfast first?"

Snape stood up and walked out to the garden, held out his arm, Gienah took it and he apparated into Diagon Alley. They went into the cafe near Flourish and Blott's and she ordered scrambled egg with sour bread toast. Snape ordered a glass of orange juice. Snape paid.

They apparated once more and found themselves in a muggle street in East London. Snape walked through an entrance with a small faded door between two shops. As they entered the space seemed to expand. They were looking at a reception with a woman writing some forms.

"How can we help you today?" She smiled warmly at Gienah.

"We would like to know what happens with the werewolves after they're captured?"

"That is classified information love" She said, with a raised eyebrow. "Why would you-"

"Well you see, I want to go into the care of magical creatures and am highly interested in werewolves."

"Ooh I see!" The woman said. "Well, why don't you take a seat and I'll brew you a cup of tea and we can talk all about the trade."

"Oh, yes, I'd like that very much" Gienah said with a look at Snape who nodded and slinked away without the woman noticing.

The woman spoke for more than half an hour straight when Snape returned to the room.

"Thank you so much Mirinda, I'll be sure to owl you!"

"No problem sweetie. I'll put in a word with the boss to see if you can't get a work placement for the summer". She winked at her and Gienah waved goodbye.

"Jeez Louise" Gienah breathed as they returned to the busy road. "Who could talk so cheerfully about hunting innocent citizens. What did you find out?"

"Lupin was sold to a man called Philip. He works for Billy Parsons at a place called Billie's Carnival."

"No!" Gienah gasped. "You don't mean to say he's in an exhibition?"

"I think that's exactly what's happened to him." Snape said. "Hold my arm."

They apparated into Knockturn Alley.

"Transform. It's best you aren't seen. It's too noticeable." Snape said.

Gienah smiled mischieviously and turned into a bat. She swore she heard Snape chuckle.

They entered a large inn with a friendly looking woman at the bar. Snape ordered a drink and asked for Padfoot.

"He's right behind ya, love" Lulu said with a smile.

"Sorry, I didn't see him." Snape said and turned to see an old man with long white hair tied back into a plait. Gienah giggled though it came out as a hiss.

Sirius was sitting with Dung wearing a leather jacket and tight leather pants. He had a gold tooth and his t-shirt had a wide neckline revealing his white hairs on his chest.

"Padfoot" Snape said with a nod.

"Severus my son!" Sirius roared. "Meet my good friend Dung".

Dung smiled at him then looked at the smiling bat beside him and shuddered. Gienah hmphed and looked away.

Gienah flew to Sirius and stroked her head against his cheek.

"Could I have a private word... Padfoot" Snape asked politely.

Sirius excused himself with a curtsy and came and stood with Snape at the corner of the bar.

"Billie's Carnival?" Sirius frowned. "But they're a touring company. How do we know where they are?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. They're connected on the floo but the fireplace has been closed down." Snape said. "I'm going to see if I can track Carmichael. I found out he's home address."

"Good luck" Sirius said, scratching his beard.

Gienah flew to Severus as he left the bar and they apparated to a small village.

"Where are we?" Gienah asked.

"Godric's Hollow."

Gienah looked around her and she could feel the magic hum from the oldest wizarding settlement in England. Gienah became a bat once more as Snape began to walk away from the town centre and past a suburban street. Snape stopped at the last house. It looked far too normal to belong to a werewolf hunter. Snape didn't bother knocking. He blast the door down.

Gienah sighed as she transformed.

"Was that really necessary?"

Snape shrugged.

They walked in. Snape went upstairs as Gienah looked around down stairs.

"Scream and I'll slit your throat." A man hissed near her ear.

"Scream?" Gienah asked offended. "I'd be more concerned that I was about to whoop your ass."

Carmichael had pressed her hands behind her wrist.

"Vanajakshi, do the honours." Gienah tutted, the cobra had began waiting for permission before striking.

Carmichael hissed and let her go, falling to his knees. She turned, and pointed her wand to his jugular and pressed the heel of her boot down painfully on his stomach.

"Professor!" Gienah called. "We have a patient. Move, and I'll let you die slowly. Play nice, and I might just put you out of your misery and kill you quickly. Deal?"

Carmichael spat at her. Gienah's eyes flashed and she kicked him in the mouth. His mouth spluttered with blood and a tooth fell out.

"Couldn't you disarm him?" Snape sighed. "Bezoar's don't come cheap."

Snape stuffed a shrunken looking thing down his mouth.

"Pity." Gienah said. "I wanted to see him die."

"Patience." Snape smiled sweetly at Carmichael who gulped. Snape's smiles looked anything but nice.

They apparated back to the cottage and tied him to a chair. Gienah left Vanajakshi to keep him company as she flew to town on her broomsticks and picked up some supplies.

"Spaghetti bolognese ok for you?" Gienah called upstairs.

There was no answer. Gienah rolled her eyes.

"Spaghetti?" She asked their gagged guest.

He just glared at her.

She sighed and began chopping onions. An hour later Snape came down his hair greasy from brewing.

"Whachoo brewing?" Gienah asked as she set the small table in the kitchen for two and placed fresh flowers in the vase.

"Tracking potion."

Gienah froze.

"You could track dad!" Gienah said excitedly.

"Immune to werewolves." Snape replied.

Gienah cursed under her breath. Snape tried the bolognese and chewed slowly.

"It's quorn" Gienah said. "I'm a vegetarian."

"It's decent." Snape said, taking another bite. Gienah moved closer to him and grated some parmesan. She noticed him still at the closeness and quickly went back to her seat.

"We going to interrogate him with Veritaserum?" Gienah asked after trying the pasta. Passable.

"I've owled Black" Snape said.

"Can I kill him?"

Snape put his fork down and looked at her.

"You really think you can take a life?"

"The world would be a better place without him." Gienah said coldly.

"What about you? Would you be a better person?" Snape asked, his black eyes gazing into her green. Snape blinked and looked away.

"I would feel better" Gienah said angrily.

"You're speaking to a man who's killed more than he'd care to admit." Snape said. "Not once has it made me feel better."

Gienah didn't say anything for the rest of dinner.

"Ah the smell of home cooking" Sirius said as he came through the door. "Did I tell you that I love you?"

"Only three times a day" Gienah teased.

"What was that noise?" Snape asked, walking to the door.

"I broke his nose." Sirius said cheerfully.

"Professor says I can't kill him" Gienah pouted.

"You're too young sweetpea" Sirius agreed. "And I'd rather you didn't kill unless strictly necessary".

"What are going to do with him?" Gienah said with exasperation. "I told Arthur to install a dungeon".

"We're not turning into the Malfoys." Sirius said firmly.

"We can leave him to the aurors. Selling werewolf blood is a serious crime. We'll obliviate Lee Harper off his memories and he'll get five years at the least."

Gienah grumbled.

Sirius finished his dinner and they all walked into the living room. Carmichael was unconscious.

"Dad!" Gienah berated her father. "Did you smash his nose into his brain?"

"That's not actually possible." Sirius retorted.

Snape summoned his potions kit and placed some crystals under his nose and Carmichael blinked stupidly at them. Snape then forced Veritaserum down his throat.

"What is your name?" Snape asked.

"Carl Carmichael" he responded quickly, his eyes strangely blank.

"How did you discover Lee Harper's identity?"

"After I met with him I saw his face on the Daily Prophet in my office. I thought he looked familiar. I saw him again at the Gobbler and he'd shaved his beard and I knew it was him."

"What do you know about Mary Jane?"

"I don't know anything about a Mary Jane."

Sirius groaned.

"A woman of about fifty, black and grey hair, hooked nose." Sirius said. "White robes, drinks at The Gobbler".

"When I caught Lupin they were kissing. She is carrying his baby, or so she says."

"WHAT!?" Gienah stood up. "Are you sure that potions working?"

Snape bristled and didn't dignify that with a response.

"She was going to attack me so I froze her and left."

"So where did she go?" Gienah said frustratedly.

"I don't know" Carmichael responded and she rolled her eyes.

"Where is Lupin?" Snape asked.

"At Billie's Carnival."

"Where is the carnival?"

"They tour around the continent. The next destination is Moscow on Saturday. Between openings they're at a safe location in a mountain somewhere."

"Can't you get through the floo?"

"I warned Billie to close the floo connection."

Gienah swore.

"Is there any way you can contact him?"

"By owl."

"In person?"

"He sends his guard Phillip."

"That might be good enough." Sirius said with a nod at Snape.

They let one arm free and forced him to write a letter to Billie to meet him for an important matter concerning the werewolf Lee Harper. He refused at first.

"I'll break all the bones off your left hand." Sirius growled.

Snape rolled his eyes and calmly cast "Imperio."

Sirius left shortly after that. Gienah reluctantly fed Carmichael some soup and bread that evening and retreated to the library where Snape was brewing his tracking potion.

"Pettigrew's in Albania." Snape said to Gienah. He was holding a pendent over a map that was hovering in Albania. "In the forest."

"Strange place for a holiday." Gienah commented.

"It is rumoured last that the dark lord was in Albania." Snape said.

"No" Gienah said.

"After Lupin someone will have to track Pettigrew." Snape said. "It can't be me. I would be expected to aid his return and it would look too suspicious if I delayed."

"But you could kill him professor!" Gienah pleaded.

"The dark lord cannot be killed. We must approach with caution." Snape said calmly.

"I'm not letting either of my dad's out of my sight after this" Gienah folded her arms.

"You plan to let Pettigrew get away?" Snape asked.

"Once he's back in the country Sirius can have his revenge. They will not leave the country." Gienah said finally.

Snape nodded.

"As you wish."

The next day Hermes returned with a reply from Billie Parsons.

 _Carl,_

 _Phillip will meet you at the Leaky Cauldron at eight tomorrow evening._

 _B . P ._

"Any luck last night?"

"The werewolf cage fights take place in a field in Kilkenny, Ireland." Sirius yawned. "I am so hungover".

"I think you like your undercover work a little too much daddy", Gienah said, hand on her hip.

Snape was reading in the living room and Gienah was making a salad for lunch.

"Professor! Do you like olives?"

"Yes" Snape said in a bored voice.

Gienah garnished the greek salad with oregano and virgin oil. She brought the quiche out of the oven and placed a fork in the centre to check if it was cooked.

"Lunch is served!"

"Sit down love" Sirius ordered. "You do too much. I'll serve."

Gienah sat down and fidgeted as he served them a each generous slice of vegetable and goat's cheese quiche and a side of salad. Placing a flask of pumpkin juice and water at the table he sat down and smiled happily at the food.

"Pettigrew is in Albania." Gienah said to Sirius.

"But isn't that where they're saying Voldemort is hiding?" Sirius said, pausing to look at Snape.

"Yes" Snape said. "I suggested either you or Remus find Pettigrew but she insists-"

"No." Gienah said looking fiercely at Sirius, as if daring him to say otherwise.

"But…" Sirius whined.

"No buts." Gienah pointed a fork at him. "You can kill him when he returns."

"Yes mother." Sirius muttered.

"And it's your turn to feed our.. house guest" Gienah said as if the word left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"This is rather delicious Gienah" Snape said.

"That is unexpectedly kind of you professor" Gienah smiled warmly.

"Diggory is a lucky man." Snape said.

There was a clatter of noise from dropped cutlery.

"Professor" Gienah hissed.

"Oops" he said, not sounding sorry at all.

"You're seeing someone and you never told me?!" Sirius yelled looking panicked. "I can't- I need Remus for this. I haven't even given you the talk."

"I told you!" Gienah cringed, averting her eyes from her professor. "Dad beat you to it."

"Ha!" Sirius barked. "Remus hasn't had a good lay since the eighties darling. He probably gave you a manual from the days of Merlin! Chauffeurs and courtship… Nope. You need to know the full monty. The whole works."

Gienah looked pleadingly at Snape. His perpetual bored expression slowly formed into a smile.

"And may I ask. when am I meeting this young man?" Sirius asked. "Is he good enough for her Severus?"

"He's a prefect, captain of the quidditch team and a complete gentleman!" Gienah said hotly.

"We'll see about that." Sirius said darkly and he finished his drink and stood up feed their prisoner.

"What does you mean?" Gienah said loudly, then nervously looking at Snape. "What does he mean?"

"If Mr. Diggory likes you enough nothing your father will do or say will change that." Snape said with a sigh. "When did I start spouting relationship advice?"

Gienah calmed down.

"Seconds?"

"Yes, please" Snape said pleasantly.

The next day Charlie came over for lunch, interrupting Snape and Gienah in a duel in the back garden. Gienah was panting from exertion of holding off Snape with her shield and almost on her knees.

"Genna!" Charlie yelled from the distance. Gienah dropped her shield and was blasted across the garden with an ominous crack.

"Ouch" Gienah cried.

"That was careless Ms. Black" Snape said.

Gienah got to her feet and ran to hug Charlie.

"How's Ethal?" Gienah asked.

"She's good, bored of being tamed I think. She wants to hunt for herself so we're thinking of securing west of the forest and letting a few sheep loose." Charlie said. "Remus?"

"We're getting there." Gienah assured him.

Charlie nodded.

"Lunch!" Gienah smiled and led Charlie into the kitchen.

Gienah passed a bowl of mushroom soup to Charlie and sat down.

"You must be rushed off your feet" Gienah said.

"It's not too bad" Charlie said. "Sirius comes to check in with me most days to help with paperwork and we've postponed any new additions and meetings till next month so then it'll be manic but Sirius will deal with it."

"I'll be here to help!" Gienah said.

"Of course", Charlie smiled. "How's Ron?"

That evening Snape imperiesed Carmichael once again and spiked his pumpkin juice with a compulsion draught so he wouldn't fight it. They apparated into Diagon Alley, Gienah once again perched on Snape's shoulder and joined Sirius, polyjuiced, at the table next to Carmichael.

"Ahh Philip!" Carmichael stood up and shook the broad man's hand. "Whisky? Butterbeer? Elf mead?"

"What did you tell him to do? Suck ass?" Padfoot muttered.

"To act as he usually would" Snape said with a look of disgust at the display behind Sirius.

"Mead" Philip said.

"Good choice." Carmichael said, pouring the mead into the second glass.

"What did you want to talk about?" Philip said as he downed the drink.

"I believe the werewolf may be dangerous" Carmichael said. Sirius snorted.

"There isn't much he can do Carl." Philip said. "He's in a cage."

Sirius curled his fists.

"But all the same, I'd like to see him. Precautions you understand." Carmichael said.

"We'll be in Moscow on Saturday" Philipp stood up. "I'll see you then."

"Philip" Carmichael stood up. "I must stress-"

"Carl" Philip said, clearly losing patience. "You know our site is sensitive information we only tell our senior staff. We can't be keepin' our creatures in an unsecure site, so poachers an' ministry officials can get to 'em"

Philip left and Padfoot groaned. Snape left and followed Carmichael outside, held his arm and apparated back to the cottage. GIenah opened her eyes, turning back to her natural form and saw Carmichael had grabbed Snape's wand.

Gienah slashed her wand and cut his hand clean off his arm.

"Aaaaargh" Carmichael stared at his mutilated arm.

"Can I feed his hand to the dogs?" Gienah asked sweetly.

Snape nodded as he nudged Carmichael's frozen face with his boot.

The next few days they had lunch with Sirius and then practiced duelling outdoors. The evenings they spend reading and discussing the dark arts.

On Friday night Gienah stood in the living room pacing across the carpet, Carmichael wearily watching her from his chair.

The fireplace turned green and moments later a man emerged from the flames. Gienah gasped. The man had the most fearsome face looking as if it had roughly been carved from wood, covered with scars and a chunk of nose was missing. His hair was grey and grizzly, sticking up in odd ends. But the most shocking feature was his eyes. One of them was a vivid. electric blue eye that moved independently from his normal eye.

"Didn't yer da tell ya it was rude to stare?" Moody said gruffly.

"Mad-eye!" Gienah ran up to him and shook his hand.

Moody looked down at her and said "Ya look every inch like 'im lass."

"I've heard so much about you" Gienah gushed.

"'ave you now?" Moody walked around their guest and looked at his bandaged stump, courteous of Snape. "Wha' happened to him?"

"Carmichael"

"That bastard!" Moody grabbed his face and squeezed it so his mouth drew open to reveal his teeth.

The fireplace turned green once more and out came Arthur followed closely by Xeno.

"Gienah" Arthur smiled down at Gienah, patting her on the head.

"There's my second favourite girl in the world!" Xeno came and hugged Gienah off the ground.

"Xenophilius" Gienah folded her arms looking down at Lovegood as he held her in the air. "I'm a grown woman now. You can't twirl me around anymore".

And he did just that.

"Is this a rescue mission of a ballet class!" Growled Moody. "Where's Black?"

"No body panic. I am here." Sirius came in and bowed. There was many hugs and hand shaking before Snape came downstairs with the portkey.

"Alastor" Snape nodded at Moody. "The port key will be activated in one minute. If everyone could gather around the newspaper."

It was a tight fit but they managed. They waited uncomfortably for a few seconds before they were being pulled into nothingness. Gienah let go after a few seconds and found herself flat on her face on concrete.

"Ouch" Gienah said as she was helped to her feet by Lovegood

They were standing in an alleyway shrouded in darkness. There was a strong smell of litter and Gienah scrunched her nose. Sirius led the way round to the main road and in front of a modest hotel. They had only managed to get three rooms on short notice so they each shared a twin room much to Snape's annoyance.

Mad Eye and Sirius left the hotel once they'd checked in to start looking for the carnival. Gienah considered staying awake until his return but finally nodded off at one.

A.N. I was wondering what people thought of the plot diversion...


	28. Billie's Magical Carnival

Chapter Thirty-Two: **Billie's Magical Carnival**

A heavy rain pelted from the murky clouds. She was running, looking back every now and then, seeing the dark figures drawing closer and closer. Closing her eyes she took the form of an eagle, and stretched her tawny feathers in the cool night sky. A net captured her as she was gaining height. Gienah was forced to return to her human form. Gienah attempted to rip the net with her teeth but to no avail. Her heart was beating wildly against her chest. She looked back and could now make out their features, grotesque and triumphant. She frantically attempted wandless magic but again their was a magic in the net that weakened its victim. Help, she cried silently. Giving up on the knots she attempted to crawl with the net and had managed to roll a few inches when she was being lifted, net and all into the sky once more. An eagle claw was curled around the net and carrying her away from the darkness. Another two eagles came up behind her and flew her to safety. Gienah was too weak, her strength was drained, she closed her eyes…

Gienah was torn from her slumber a few minutes passed four in the morning by Sirius.

"Sorry angel, we found the carnival." Sirius whispered. "We're moving in."

Instantly she was wide awake. Sirius moved to the other rooms to tell the others as she brushed her teeth, sprayed some deodorant and changed. A shower would have been a luxury. As she pulled her head through her jumper she forced herself to think of Lupin in a cage. Merlin knows where he relieved himself. She clearly had a few more victims to dismember.

Gienah wore her dragon hide boots, leather leggings and a thick black jumper. Her fur cloak rested on her shoulder. On her hips was a leather belt with her scabbard hung on it, a spare wand (Carmichaels) and a vial of tonic for Lupin. Her hair was in a half ponytail and she had applied eyeliner thickly across the bottom of her eye.

She walked to the next room where everyone had gathered and saw Snape had his hair tied back, wore dark trousers and a turtleneck jumper instead of his usual robes and his classic billowing cloak. He wore duelling gloves and an expression of no telling.

"I'd rather not have collateral damage on our hands and the deaths of civilians so we're leaving at the end of my little speech. The magical creatures tent has already been set up. It's the midnight blue tent. Two of you will remain in the perimeter at all times. Arthur and Mad Eye that's you. Xenophilius is keeping guard on the circus train. Severus and Gienah are getting Lupin and any other magical beings the hell out of there. Their is no apparition within the tent so we will remain at guard until Gienah. Severus and Lupin are out of there. We apparate to the alley we port keyed to yesterday. If anyone is missing I will assume you were left behind and risk my life to retrieve you so bloody well don't get lost. I'll be overseeing the whole operation. Good luck. Let's hope they all stay asleep."

Quietly they followed Sirius out of the hotel and into the alley. Two held on to Sirius, another two Mad-Eye and they were gone with a loud CRACK.

They appeared onto a large park, beautiful imposing buildings hedged the grounds and there were massive tents spotted around the vast span of frosty grassland. Bunting criss crossed from lamp posts with the cartoon of a mans face on them smiling widely and others with loud lettering spelling Billie's Carnival. Posters in Russian were plastered over tents. Gienah stepped forward and heard the sound of paper crinkling and saw a flyer beneath her boots. Picking it up she saw Billie's Magical Carnival stamped across the front in yellow and a slideshow of images beneath. It looked innocent enough. Gienah would have been excited if they'd come to Wales. Fortune telling, hot dogs, ferris wheels and bumper brooms.

Gienah scrunched the paper in her fist and dropped it back onto the grass, pressing her heel against the ball so it was muddied for good measure. The blue tent was the least loud of the several tents but one of the larger ones. Snape led the way and Gienah followed, she felt Vanajakshi poke her winged head out to see where they were.

Gienah clenched her dagger handle as Arthur and Mad Eye went opposite directions at the tent door.

"Intrare aparta licantium" Snape murmured under his breath making a complicate movement with his wand. Gienah watched with fascination as she felt the magic radiate from the potions master.

Snape then drew the tent flap, slashing the ropes to enter. Gienah followed him in and gasped when she saw the tent was nothing like the outside. There was an empty booth with the sign "Tickets here" and a door on either side covered with red tinsel curtains. It was completely dark inside apart from the lit sign saying "ENTER AT YOUR PERIL". There were photos plastered by the booth of animals looking wild and vicious. She saw a few of a werewolf, one with the fangs so near she shuddered.

"Where's the guard?" Gienah whispered.

"Homenum revelio" Snape said under his breath and a shadow of a man came from between the curtains and faded in their presence. "Inside".

"I'll go first and deal with him." Gienah said, not waiting for his approval as she closed her eyes and flew through the curtains as an innocent looking sparrow.

Gienah hadn't known what to expect. She flew through winding corridors which took on the habitat of the creature in each exhibition. As a swamp met woodland she was flying through tall trees and smelling the scent of honeysuckle and the sweet scent of dew clinging onto the blades of grass in the approaching dawn. Gienah then saw a breathing figure on the grass, approaching closer she saw it was a sleeping centaur with shackles on her hooves. Her naked breasts rose and fell rhythmically with her deep breathing. Gienah promised she'd return and continued to find the guard. As she entered the most unbearable heat she saw her. A woman wearing a vest and combat trousers with a scarf covering her face and a wand grasped languidly in her hands. Gienah closed her eyes as she flew behind her and transformed. Stunning her silently she sent a talking patronus to Snape and continued down the path in human form. It was an incredible bit of magic and she hated to admit it but she was in awe. Why they had to capture beings forcefully when she was sure there would be some who would come willingly. Gienah could still sense the enclosed space as she walked in seemingly vast deserts and sweltering rainforests. There was a way in which the trees bent over in a semi circle and the view from the distance looked like a mirage through a mirror glass. Towards the end she came across an old wood, the trees were spaced out, tall and dark. Then she saw a man with a balding head sleeping on the grass in the distance. Gienah let out a laugh of relief when she was disarmed.

"What might a little girl be doing in the woods alone in the dark?"

Gienah turned and immediately positioned herself in a duelling stance.

"You want to fight?" The man said boredly. He was wearing dark robes and had shoulder length hair that framed his face like curtains. Gienah flicked her wrist and pointed the wand at the second guard.

"Unless you're willing to come quietly." Gienah growled.

The man laughed. Gianah cast a stunning spell, he deflected it, his mouth no longer smiling.

"A second wand, my pretty?" The guard said curiously. "That is auror practice."

"I like to be fully prepared." Gienah smiled sweetly, throwing another jinx his way. He leapt out of the way.

The guard now straightened his position and looked more seriously at the dark haired girl.

"What are you doing here?"

"Freeing my father." Gienah replied truthfully, holding her head in pride.

Gienah sent a relashio, a stunning spell, a tripping jinx but the guard was a competent dueller. They both stopped suddenly as they heard a disturbance coming from down the corridor. Gienah groaned and starting slashing her wand more ferociously. Having had enough she transformed into a thestral and his spell was absorbed by her scaly hide. The guard looked wildly around stupidly as she brought her claws to his shoulder, ripping his fleshy skin and threw him to the side where he hit the glass barrier. It didn't shatter but at least he was unconscious. Closing her eyes once again she summoned her wand and tried to break the glass with the strongest bombarda spell she knew but to no avail. Gienah, growing impatient, breathed on the glass, her breath emerging as flames. If dragon fire didn't work she didn't know what would. The glass slowly melted but the commotion was becoming nearer. Gienah blew once more so there was a hole in the glass big enough for a grown man and saw she was standing in a cage. The illusion shattered she looked through the glass and saw an empty corridor. It looks like the creatures couldn't get lost in the simulations after all. Gienah saw the balding man sleeping on the hard floor and looked around. Where was Lupin?

Gienah shook the man awake.

"Gienah?" The man said, rubbing his eyes to be sure. "Merlin… and I told him to give up hope."

"Where is my father?" Gienah demanded.

"They've taken him to prepare for the fights girl" The man said, slowly getting to his feet.

"But that's tomorrow night!" Gienah could have kicked herself. If they went now they'd lose the element of surprise by the sound of the commotion outside.

"Here", Gienah gave him the wand. "What's your name?"

"Benjamin Figgs." He replied.

"Say, you don't know a squib by the name of Figgs do you?" Gienah asked as she climbed back through the hole.

"Aye I do." Figg said climbing out after her. "My big sister."

"Ha" Gienah said. "Small world."

But there was no time for chit chat. The noises were getting louder. How was it Snape hadn't beat their arses yet. The man was ruthless.

"We need to free the centaur" Gienah said. Figgs nodded.

"Her names LIbertas." Figgs said. "She'll need immediate care. She's been starving herself thinking she'd never see the stars again."

Gienah ran. She transformed fully and in one roar there was a large hole in the glass for a troll to walk through. Gienah softly woke the centaur but she was unable to stand without feeling faint. Figgs stepped in and levitated her and they walked back through the corridors, the simulation less strong now as they knew what the space looked in reality. Gienah could see the edged of the walls and the dullness of the ceiling.

They had entered the desertland when she saw Snape fighting one on five. Now that made sense. Gienah transformed and roared at the five men and women giving them first degree burns and possibly killing the closest. But there was no time for caution.

"Dad's in Ireland!" Gienah screamed.

Snape cursed, feeling the same as Gienah. Berating himself for not having sent out two search parties.

"Lupin is being held in Kilkenny, Ireland. We will join you as soon as we can. It is likely they will expect you." Gienah said to her eagle patronus.

"Healers needed in Krymsky Val, Moscow situated in the Dark Creatures tent in Billie's Carnival." Gienah sent the second to the Russian ministry.

Gienah then ran after Snape, Figgs following behind with the floating centaur flinching at the burnt flesh. Outside there were three members of staff unconscious. Moody was restraining the last staff member who scowled at him as he tightened the ropes.

"We weren't even struggling!" The woman protested. "How long you keeping us tied here for? No right at all you stinkin' theivin' poachers."

"It's your boss that's the poacher" Gienah hissed. "Is anyone a trained mediwizard?"

A man attempted to raise his hand and gave up saying "Yes maam" instead.

Gienah released him much to Moody's annoyance.

"Five people in there dealing with first degree dragon burns." Gienah said. "After that, see to it that these two are taken to St. Mungo's hospital."

The mediwizard scurried inside.

"Where's dad?" Gienah asked Moody. The only member missing from their party.

As she spoke Sirius came from around the tent, his face covered with a sheen of sweat despite the Russian weather.

"Slimy bastard" Sirius muttered. "Where's my blood brother?"

"Ireland." Gienah said with a scowl on her face. "We'll have to apparate there. I can't fly quick enough."

"We'll take the floo" Snape said.

"Oh yeah" Gienah said sheepishly.

Sirius swore loudly and ran to a plain green coloured tent. They entered into a large room with several desks and chairs, he led them down a corridor and into a larger office. A large fireplace stood opposite the mahogany desk where an unconscious fat man was tied to a chair.

"Where are we flying to then?" Arthur smiled.

"Good question." Sirius said.

"Avalon Inn, Dublin" Snape said.

One by one they went through the fire place. Gienah came through last and saw a tired looking innkeeper wearing a pointy white hat hold a lantern sleepily at them file out of the inn.

"For your trouble" Gienah said apologetically, handing him a handful of galleons as she ran past.

"Knight bus?" Arthur offered.

The rest groaned but Moody held out his wand reluctantly.

"Oooh" Stan said as he saw the party stand warily outside the inn. "Ernie! It's Sirius Black! Welcome, welcome my lord. It is an honour-"

Sirius silenced him and walked in telling the driver, Kilkenny. Gienah covered the gold, patting Stan on the back. There was only one witch on the bus. After their stop in Manchester, they were whisked off to Ireland once more.

"We hope you were satisfied with our service Lord and Lady Black." Stan Shunpike bowed deeply, his hat falling off his head. Moody grunted.

They arrived in the middle of nowhere. Quite literally. There was nothing but planes of grass whichever way you looked.

"Where are they?" Gienah said hopelessly.

They all looked around at the wasteland. Dead grass wet from the rain. The sun a striking contrast against the yellowing grass.

"Look!" Gienah shouted. She transformed into an eagle and flew in the direction where she saw a familiar figure miles away.

"Hagrid!" Sirius said. Sirius apparated the distance just as Gienah descended from her flight.

"We bin walkin' round for last hour." Hagrid said, after hugging Gienah.

"Hello love." Andromeda smiled, her dark eyes dancing as she hugged her goddaughter.

Snape, Lovegood, Arthur and Moody appeared.

"Nothing?" Moody barked.

"Not a living creature Alastor" Andromeda said.

"Lucius said when he went they were underground. The tickets portkey you to the destination." Snape said. "Macnair is a regular. I suggest I find him and take his ticket."

"Right you are" Arthur said, no longer smiling. "I'll come with you."

Arthur disapparated with Snape and the rest split into three groups.

"Im going to give him a piece of my mind when I find him" Gienah muttered, pointing her wand to bits of rock and watching them turn to dust.

"Your dad had to do it." Andromeda said gently. "Imagine if it were Luna or Neville that had gone missing. Imagine if they were attacking Black's or half-bloods. You couldn't stand there, knowing it could had easily been you and your friends did nothing."

Gienah didn't say anything. She was right. Andromeda always was.

A few hours later Gienah was shattered. Andromeda brought out some food from her bag.

Gienah stared.

"I thought you all might want breakfast" Andromeda laughed handing her a croissant. "I think we can take a break love. You haven't slept."

Andromeda transfigured the blanket into a sleeping bag then made a makeshift tent with her scarf and three sticks to shield some of the glaring rays of sunlight. Gienah finished her croissant, sipped some water and snuggled into the sleeping bag.

Gienah woke up at noon and found Hagrid sitting beside her playing his flute. It was a beautiful sight. His large silhouette holding the flute against the vast Irish wastelands. Gienah finished her water and transfigured the sleeping bag back into a scarf and wrapped it around her neck.

"Afternoon" Hagrid said, putting his flute down when he saw she was awake. "Some sandwiches for ya there."

Gienah saw a platter of sandwiches, selected a cheese and cucumber and bit into it with a small moan. Hagrid chuckled, helping himself to a ham and cheese.

"Andromeda is a goddess" Gienah said, mouth filled with cheese and cucumber. "What's happening?"

"Moody's trying to track any magical trace. Andromeda's doin' the same. I was useless 'nd offered to keep an eye on ya." Hagrid said looking down at Gienah. "We'll find him Genna."

Gienah felt her heart sink. She'd allow herself to forget that her father's life was in danger for a minute but now the worry returned like a stone in her stomach.

"What creature can track humans best Hagrid?" Gienah asked.

"I've gotta say… vampires. They can smell human blood even when it's unshed."

Gienah grinned.

She closed her eyes and thought of Professor Ambrogio, his pale skin, his dark eyes, his fanged teeth and immortal beauty.

"Blimey!" Hagrid stood in fright. "Genna?"

Gienah opened her eyes and suddenly she felt much more aware. She looked and around and could see a gnat flying around Hagrid's wild mane. She looked down at her pale elegant hands and looked up and saw Moody on his wooden leg in the distance.

"Wicked" Gienah murmured. She ran her finger across her venomous fangs so sharp she felt her fingertip resisting against the human blades. But of course, she was stronger now.

"Hagrid!" Gienah said excitedly. "Give me your hand."

Hagrid hesitantly obliged. Gienah held Hagrid's plate sized hands in her small hand and curled her fingers around his thumb and gently squeezed.

"Arghh!" Hagrid cried. "Mercy! Mercy!"

Gienah let go and saw the blood rush through his thumb once again and her nose flared. It was intoxicating. She could smell his blood. She was so close to biting him when Hagrid pulled his arm away and stood a distance from her.

"Hagrid" Gienah said apologetically. "I'm not really a vampire. I can change. See."

She closed her eyes and felt disorientated with her weak sight. Then transformed once more.

"I've 'eard stories…" Hagrid said weakly. "The centaurs and me da. Skin-walkers. I thought ya were an animagus. Eagle. Not- blimey-"

"I'm Nagual" Gienah said. "The last of my kind as far as I know."

"I think I heard that word" Hagrid said, looking at her with something akin to fear.

"I'm the same person Hagrid." Gienah said.

"I- I don't know what to say" Hagrid said.

"I'll see if I can track a scent." Gienah said timidly and walked away before he could see the tears.

Gienah couldn't focus on the overwhelming scents flooding her new sensitive organ as she sobbed, running away from one of her closest friends.

 _The nagual are cursed to be loved and hated, envied and despised… threat, danger, persecution… dark creatures… beast within…_

Would she turn into a monster? Did Hagrid see what no one else could?

Gienah stopped. Her ears perked up and she was overwhelmed with the smell of blood. Not completely human… Werewolves! Gienah looked around but even with her improved sight she had lost the others.

"I found the site, come south! I'll shoot-" Gienah felt a heavy blow against her head, her eyes close as the patronus fled with only half her message.

Gienah stirred. She had no idea how long she'd been knocked out but she had a lump the size of small egg on her head. She groaned as she lifted herself up with difficulty. She was in a dark room. Underground by the lack of sunlight coming through the barred door.

"Gienah?"

Gienah couldn't believe her ears though she heard his voice loud and clearly. She looked across the narrow corridor and at the cell on the right was her father looking at her from an obscure angle.

"You're a vampire?" Lupin raised his eyebrow. "Not exactly the form I'd choose to get out of here."

"Oh be quiet dad" Gienah snapped. "You're grounded for the rest of your life."

Lupin chuckled.

"So what took you so long?"

"Is this the gratitude I get?!" Gienah narrowed her eyes to her father.

"Nicholas is in the next cage." Lupin said. "Marcus- he killed himself."

Gienah's gaze softened.

"We'll get you all out of here. How many are there?"

"Looks like less than a dozen are here encaged. Fenrir came last time. Some wolves come willingly and get their own cut. Our profits go to the carnival." Lupin said bitterly.

"Can you melt the bars?" Gienah asked.

"I think so." Lupin said. "But you'll have to be-"

They heard footsteps coming down from some stairs if Gienah could trust her senses.

"A vampire you say?" The man asked. "You reckon we can put her in the stadium. Or might it attack the audience."

Gienah hissed softly.

"She seemed to be looking for us. Whatever we do with her she needs to stay put." A weedy voice replied.

"You got the garlic?" The man asked.

"Yes sir." The weedy voice answered.

Gienah paled.

Lupin mouthed something at her, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. She breathed. It'll be fine. She could turn them to toast in a second.

"What do we have here?" The man was a muscular tall man with a mohawk and dark blue eyes. "She's a kid!"

"Yes sir- I didn't think-"

"It's the same with Billie, sending that asian kid. Must be what, fifteen." The man shook his head. "I may be running an illegal sport but I won't be responsible for a girl on my property!"

"What do we do with her?" The weedy man stuttered. He was short and thin with shaggy hair and wore braces, strangely enough. A muggle?

"Can't deal with her now… After the full moon." The man sighed looking down at her wide black eyes behind the bars.

Their steps faded again, but only to be replaced with the sound of another, and shackles.

A man in his twenties passed her cell, she watched him struggle fruitlessly against the muscular guard twice his size. She heard him being thrown into a cage and the door locked. This was her only chance.

"Vanajakshi" Gienah whispered.

"Excuse me sir!" Gienah called the man back. There was a pause where Lupin looked over her worriedly. "Sir!"

The man walked back. His arms were heavily tattooed and he had no neck.

"What?" The guy snarled.

Vanajakshi bit into his bared ankle. The man yelped and shook his leg only making her cling on for longer.

Gienah tested the bars with her hands and found she was easily able to push them apart. She slid through the mangled bars and ran to the man who was staring up at her, rasping, trying to say help. Gienah took mercy on him and remembering something about vampires immunity to most venoms she risked placing her fangs on the cobra's puncture and sucked the venom out. The colour returned to his face.

"Thank you" he gasped, now fearful seeing what she was.

"I'd rather you showed your gratitude" Gienah flashed her fangs at him and he shuddered but nodded his head.

"How do you get out of here?" Gienah asked.

"Just ur, up the stairs to the stadium and then there's a room through the back with a floo connected." The man said quickly.

"Give me your wand" Gienah demanded.

"I'm not a wizard" The man said, his eyes frantic. Gienah hissed but he only shivered. Sighing she took the keys off his belt and threw him effortlessly into her cage and moulded the bars back in place.

"That her?" She turned and saw the voice come from a handsome young boy the man must have spoken about. "Gienah Black?"

"Hi" Gienah said shyly.

Lupin smirked.

Gienah walked over to his cell and unlocked his door and then Lupin's. She looked at her dad for the first time in months. He looked radically different. His hair was tied back and his face unshaved. He had various piercings on his head and his arm was covered in a sleeve of tattoos.

"Mid-life crisis much?" Gienah smirked. "Next time just get yourself a motorbike eh dad."

Lupin laughed and hugged her tightly, lifting her from the ground.

"You didn't say she was a vampire" Nicholas said curiously.

"Problem?" Gienah huffed.

"Hell no. I'm a werewolf so can't really talk." Nicholas lifted his hands and winked at her cheekily. "Say, since we understand being ostracised and all that, why don't you let me take you out for a drink after you kick their butts up there? My treat."

"Akachi" Lupin growled. "That's my daughter…"

"I have a boyfriend" Gienah blurted out, her pale complexion a little pinker, but barely.

WHAT!?" Lupin widened his eyes.

"Darn it" Nicholas pouted. "He a vampire too?"

"No" Gienah smiled, wondering how Cedric would suit being a vampire. "Ordinary human."

"Enough chitchat" Lupin growled, his arms folded. "How are we getting out without a wand?"

"Get back in your cells, keep the doors closed." Gienah said, now concentrating. "I'll find a wand, send a signal to dad and come back for you."

They nodded.

Gienah turned into a sparrow and flew up the stairs.

"How did that get in here?" A man walking down with another werewolf growled.

"Kill it" Another man said.

"It's not doin' anything to you mate!" the man looked at his colleague with a look of disgust. Gienah laughed at the irony.

She saw a wand sticking out of his pocket and wondered how to approach this. She followed after them from a distance. watched them lock the man up and then yell in surprise seeing their colleague behind the bars.

"Jonny?" One of the men called out. "Whatchoo doin' back there?"

Jonny refused to speak.

"He's gone dumb" The taller man said to the other.

Gienah transformed into a vampire once again and stole the wand from his back pocket. The man turned in surprise and screamed.

"That's rather rude you know." Gienah sulked before stunning them both and putting them in the cell with Jonny and disillusioning the three of them and silencing Jonny.

"You two" Gienah said grumpily. "Might as well come up with me. Here's another wand."

Lupin looked like all his Christmases had come at once as he held a wand in his hand.

Gienah listened out for any steps, hearing nothing she disillusioned Nicholas and hurried upstairs. There were a few men walking around the stadium. It was absolutely huge. It reminded her of the stories of Roman gladiators. The main stage was a pit in the ground a good ten feet from the ground. Other than that, there was no other measures made to keep the spectators safe.

The door was on the other side of the stadium. She disillusioned Lupin and turned into a sparrow as they walked under the bleachers to the other side of the stadium. Once there, they slipped out of the door and up what felt like a thousand stairs. They were so close. Gienah could see the sunlight pouring in through the ceiling.

Gienah stilled. Lupin went ahead of her, she flapped her wings in warning but he pushed the door open as a man was pulling the door and stepped in what seemed to be a clear space only to step on something squidgy.

"Who's there?" The man said gruffly, pointing past Lupin's shoulder. It was the man with the blue eyes. "Finite incantatem".

Gienah transformed into a thestral and grabbed the man by the shoulders and flew him out of stuffy underground tunnel and threw him gracelessly half a mile away. She returned and let out a large squawk and tilted her head. Lupin climbed onto her back, Nicholas followed with a grin on his face.

Lupin and Nicholas whooped our, cried and laughed as Gienah scoured the land for the rest of her party. They were free at last.


	29. Becoming Cedrella

Chapter Thirty-Three: **Becoming Cedrella**

Bellatrix paced on Carmichael's living room, holding her stomach and panicking. Bellatrix Black did not panic. She couldn't put her baby in risk but she had to find the father of her unborn child. She knew there was one person who'd be looking for him with far better resources than her but she couldn't wait to hear news through the underground vine, as informative as it was, she preferred to be a little more intimately involved. And why not? Would she throw her out the house? Call the aurors? No. She was a Black. She'd kill her herself before calling the authorities. But there was that. What if she killed her? Would their blood mean much to her now? Bellatrix couldn't help think of a future where she could raise her daughter in a loving family. Really if she didn't do it now she was delaying the inevitable. Remus would want her to. She was Sirius's cousin. Gienah's godmother. No, there was nothing for it. Bellatrix had to make amends with Andromeda. If she accepted her, invited her warmly to her home then… she could keep an eye on Sirius's progress, have her sister there through the pregnancy and get to know her two nieces.

Bellatrix had been invited to her wedding following her graduation at Hogwarts. A summer elopement. How very romantic. How very Andromeda. She cut off her life long engagement to Rodolphus and Bellatrix was forced to fill her big sisters shoes. It was part of her disdain towards Andromeda. She had left her and Narcissa to fulfil her romantic whims leaving the responsibility of their shoulders to act as daughters of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black should act. But in all those years in Azkaban she reflected and she understood. If the dark lord has asked her to abandon her family she'd do it in a second. But Andromeda hadn't abandoned her family. The Black family had abandoned her because of the blood status of the love of her life. It was unfortunate, but was it worth disowning your daughter over? Remus was a half-blood… unfortunate, but so was Tom and hadn't the fresh blood revitalized the bloodline?

Bellatrix sighed and took off her amulet as she looked into the large gaudy mirror. She needed to make one hell of an apology. Remembering her sister had always loved flowers and had an expensive taste in clothes she thought a shopping trip might be in order. As well as needing something for herself. She wondered what said forgive me and don't call the aurors on me sister.

Bellatrix knocked on the door. The knocker was similar to the one in their childhood home. A golden fox on a black door. The house was small but elegant. Their front garden resembled a rose garden with a black porch swing. The house was made of brick and surrounding by dark green climbing ivy sprouting blood red flowers.

Andromeda opened the door smiling, but her smile froze as she saw the most wanted witch in the country standing on her doorstep holding a large bouquet of flowers with a timid smile.

Andromeda shut the door in her face. Bellatrix frowned. That was the last thing she had expected. The door opened again and Andromeda went pale.

"Andromeda" Bellatrix sang in her rich honeyed voice. "Andromeda Tonks. It's been a while."

"Bellatrix" Andromeda finally breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"To make amends" Bellatrix laughed her loud, lingering and almost always maniacal laugh. Their mother had laughed like that. It was beautifully unrestrained. It was the sound of her childhood.

"Well" Andromeda pursed her lips. "You better come in."

Bellatrix walked in and through the small passageway and into a cosy living room. There was a beautiful piano by the large turret window.

"Me and my daughter were baking." Andromeda said stiffly.

A girl came running out into the living room with flour on her nose and hair and her hands coated with batter.

Lyra gasped.

"Lyra!" Andromeda scolded at the small black haired girl who was looking at her mother then up at Bellatrix.

"Are your mummy's sister?" Lyra asked with round eyes.

Bellatrix knelt down placing the flowers and gifts by her side as she softly looked down at her niece.

"Yes Lyra, I'm your Auntie Bella". Bellatrix smiled kindly at the little witch. "I have a present for you. Would you like to open it?"

Lyra nodded.

"I need to wash my hands first" Lyra ran away and came back in less than a minute, flour still on her nose.

Bellatrix handed her the package. Lyra tore away at the paper and looked curiously at the small round wooden box in her hands.

"It's a Black tradition to give the daughter a music box on her first birthday." Bellatrix whispered as it was a secret. "When you can't sleep or you're scared you wind the lever and open the box and all your nightmares go far far away."

Lyra looked back at Bellatrix with wide eyes, her mouth forming a small oh and slowly she winded the golden lever and opened the box. Out emerged a singing witch whose song filled the living room with a beautiful birdsong. It was enchanting and tragic. Gradually the witches form became grotesque and she became a nightingale. Lyra gasped once again.

"Mummy she can do what I can do!"

"Lyra" Her mother warned.

"What can you do Lyra?" Bellatrix asked softly.

"Lyra!" Andromeda came towards her daughter and pulled her away from the music box.

Lyra started sobbing and ran away.

"Dromeda." Bellatrix sighed.

"What are you doing here?"

"To make amends." Bellatrix said quietly. "I love you. I want to know my nieces. I want a family. I want my happily ever after. If you could find it in your heart, my dear dear sister, to forgive me. For turning away when you needed me most."

"Will you apologize for aiding the dark lord?" Andromeda asked gazing into her sister's dark eyes, so much like her own.

"No" Bellatrix breathed. "I am sorry that you disagree but the dark lord did no personal injury to the Black-"

"My husband and I lived in fear for years Bella!" Andromeda cried. "You joined a vendetta against _mudbloods_ and so you joined a vendetta against my husband, my children and me."

"I loved him." Bellatrix said pleadingly.

"I'm sorry Bella, that does not excuse your behaviour." Andromeda said finally.

"I won't attempt to convert your philosophy in life, why do you attempt to right mine?" Bellatrix asked.

Andromeda laughed.

"Philosophy?" Andromeda hissed. "Your precious dark lord had a philosophy did he? To justify murder? To justify torture?"

"Perhaps Tom took it too far." Bellatrix admitted. "But it was not purely a pureblood agenda. Muggles are a threat that we must take seriously. To underestimate the advances they have made while we stagnate…"

"Stagnate because we persecute muggle-borns!" Screeched Andromeda.

"I am no longer a death eater" Bellatrix said. "Isn't that enough?"

"You won't kill or harm muggles?" Andromeda said with a snort of derision. "Why Bella? It was your favorite sport - muggle baiting."

"I have come to realize the error of my ways. Petty violence is not the answer."

"Well thank merlin!" Andromeda said sarcastically. "Organized violence is the way forward."

"I was a revolutionary with few options Dromeda." Bellatrix said with her head held high.

"A terrorist." Andromeda retorted.

"Call it what you will. It is neither here nor there. If the dark lord returns I will not join his side. I will fight against him if it means saving the fate of my daughter."

"You're pregnant?" Andromeda squeaked.

"My daughter will be the child of a werewolf and a half-blood." Bellatrix said. "I will not have her harmed in any way."

"You're having a baby with Remus?!" Andromeda sat down.

"What will it take to show you I will do whatever it takes to keep this family together?" Bellatrix asked.

Andromeda didn't say anything.

"Do you love him?"

"I do."

"Then that is enough."

"Andromeda" Bellatrix choked back her tears. "Thank you."

Bellatrix then gave Andromeda her gift. An elegant set of velvet black robes. They brought a bottle of wine out and after Lyra finished baking her very messy, but quite delicious Victoria sponge cake they sat in the living room drinking and eating cake with their shoes off and photo albums splayed out on the floor. Lyra talked for hours, telling her about Gienah and Luna and her friends at school, her uncle Sirius, and all about experimental magic. That her favourite subject in school was story time and how when she finally went to Hogwarts she wanted her very own jabberwocky.

When Ted Tonks came home Andromeda took him to the side and assured him she wasn't going to murder them in their sleep and he came in and politely shook her hand before going into the kitchen to cook dinner. Nymphadora on the other hand was livid.

"I'm an auror! I bring Lestrange in… Do you have any idea what that'd do to my career? If she's found hidden in my mother's house I'd be arrested and my career will be finished."

"She won't be found out." Andromeda rolled her eyes. "This is Bella we're talking about."

"I don't know _Bella_ mother!" Tonks shouted. "I know the woman's criminal history. Every auror knows her file back to front."

"Bella is my sister. She is your aunt. She is pregnant with my niece." Andromeda said heatedly. "And Black's don't betray each other."

"Yeah?" Tonks said. "When they disowned you for marrying dad, what was that? A token of loyalty?"

"You will accept Bella." Andromeda said. "We will not turn away from family."

Tonks walked out.

"That went well" Bellatrix smiled. "Really feel like I'm back at home."

"She'll come round" Andromeda sat down, her cheeks still a little flushed.

"Urm, dinners ready" Ted poked his head out of the kitchen.

The next few weeks Bellatrix made herself at home in their small guest room. They made a new disguise for her as Cedrella Black, granddaughter of the squib Marius Black. They changed her eye colour to a light grey and she lost two inches off her height. They softened her striking features and made her distinguished jaw into a pointed face much like their sister Narcissa. Cedrella Black looked like a relation of Bellatrix and in fact Andromeda resembled her more than Cedrella did. They fixed the transformations onto an amulet and had to explain to Lyra that Bella was the same person as Cedrella but they must call her Ella from now on and never tell anyone her true identity.

"Like my secret mummy?" Lyra asked bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her pigtails swinging as she did so.

"Yes" Andromeda sighed.

"You'll have to tell me one of these days." Bellatrix said.

"I don't know what to make of it myself Bella" Andromeda said.

Bellatrix didn't push her.

Bellatrix returned to Carmichael's house for the next few weeks, hoping to catch him and find Lupin, but Andromeda found out she wasn't going shopping for the baby and after a nasty argument with many tears shed Bellatrix agreed reluctantly to allow Sirius to find his best friend. Bellatrix had nightmares of her time in Azkaban and being forced to live through her darkest hours. Other nights she woke up screaming for Remus. Andromeda worried after her sister who was losing weight rapidly and almost always had dark circles under her eyes.

"That's it." Andromeda said one evening, finding Bellatrix a broken mess in the kitchen after having chain smoked an entire pack of Ted's cigarettes and drank half a bottle of wine.

"You are coming with me to school from now on." Andromeda said briskly. "Merlin knows we need the help and you are going to end up harming that baby, and yourself".

Bellatrix was wonderful with the children. She would sing to them the alphabet and when she told them stories she'd put on the most fantastic voices. Lyra would proudly boast that Ella was her aunt to her friends. Molly, Olaf, and Catherine became quite protective over the witch, completely taken in by her tragic story of being an outcast due to her squib grandfather. Cedrella Black slowly integrated herself back into wizarding society and not the underworld. Those nights were nights of poverty. To forgetting life by intoxicating oneself and listening to the grief of others. Now she was forgetting her old life with happier memories. Dinner at the Weasley's and the Creevy's was a weekly affair. Lyra and Bellatrix were becoming inseparable. What more, her prejudices against muggles began to wane. How could she avoid it when she sat with Ted every night at the dinner table. The man had the biggest heart. Edward Tonks worked part time at St Mungo's in administration though he was also qualified as a medi-wizard. He began part-time work when Andromeda began teaching in the school and now they lived a comfortable life in Wales.

Bellatrix and Andromeda were shopping one Saturday afternoon in a muggle fresh produce market. It was loud and bustling. There were stalls selling fish, cheese, fruits and vegetables. One was dedicated to olives, mozzarella, preserved garlics and so on. Bellatrix diet was becoming stranger and stranger. They had brought eight jars of peanut butter and blackberry jam, and two cartons of ice cream which she would have two times a day in a toasted sandwich. She called it Toasted Alaska and to Andromeda's chagrin, Lyra would request the calorie laden concoction for her school lunches. Bellatrix also craved fish and became sick of meat.

"Ella could you pick out a fresh bouquet of flowers for the dining table" Andromeda asked distractedly as she picked up the mangos feeling their firmness.

Bellatrix bought a large bouquet of Brilliant violet Muscari latifolium and tight blooms of Ranunculus. Bellatrix found Andromeda at the cheese stall next, buying a selection of cheeses.

"Urm, Dromeda." Bellatrix said. "Are we expecting the Weasley's?"

Andromeda flushed.

"No."

"The Creevey's?"

"No." Andromeda walked briskly towards the supermarket where Ted and Lyra had gone.

"Then who?" Bellatrix whined.

"Sirius." Andromeda finally said.

"He'll turn me in in a second." Bellatrix said looking horrified. "He was close to the Longbottom's. He could never forgive me."

"Sirius Black knows more than most what you've already suffered." Andromeda said quietly and continued to walk into the supermarket.

That evening Ted and Andromeda made a stuffed sea bass on a bed of green leaves and vine tomatoes. The starter was baked camembert with homemade bread, and dessert was a blueberry and raspberry eton mess. Bellatrix was wearing her amulet as she nervously set the table when the bell rang. Lyra ran to the door followed by Andromeda.

"There's my favourite little girl in the whole wide world" Sirius's voice was deep, masculine and kind. Lyra giggled as he tickled her before lifting her up and placing her on his hip.

"Mmm, that smells delicious Andy" Sirius kissed her on the cheek and walked into the living room.

They stared at eachother for a moment. Bellatrix adjusted her muggle summer dress which skimmed her slightly protruding belly.

Sirius gently put Lyra down and walked closer to her. Grey eyes meeting grey eyes.

"Another Black?" Sirius said.

Bellatrix nodded.

"My pleasure." Sirius took her hand and kissed it.

"Sirius, this is Cedrella Black." Andromeda said nervously. "Grand daughter of Marius Black. She's living with me for a while."

"Well, well, well." Sirius chuckled. "Looks like the Black family won't grow stagnant after all."

"Yes, but you are the sole Black heir." Bellatrix finally spoke up. "The pleasure is mine Lord Black."

Sirius raised an eyebrow as she bowed her head and brought her grey eyes to his.

"You look remarkably familiar Cedrella Black" Sirius murmured. "As if I knew you as a child."

Andromeda laughed a little too loudly.

Ted entered in perfect timing, and Sirius tore his eyes from Bellatrix and shook his hand heartily, and offered him a glass of wine.

"How is it going?" Andromeda finally asked as they retired to the living room.

"Carmichael is out of the country according to his offices and no trace of Mary Jane."

"Mary Jane?" Cedrella asked.

"Yes, a woman who suspiciously disappeared the same night as Remus." Sirius said, no laughter in his eyes now. "Gienah and Snape are coming home this evening to assist with the search. I'm sure we'll find him in no time."

"Genna!" Lyra said tiredly. Lyra was resting her head against Bellatrix's stomach, stroking her belly. She was told her cousin was growing inside her and soon she'd come out into the world.

Bellatrix and Lyra gasped.

"Ella?" Andromeda said, rushing to her sister.

"The baby kicked!" Bellatrix said, smiling.

"You're pregnant?" Sirius asked. "Congratulations."

"Can she hear us Aunt Bella?" Lyra whispered.

Sirius frowned.

"Bella?" Sirius said quietly. "Bellatrix?"

Andromeda had stood as soon as Lyra had made her mistake. She drew her wand and guarded Bellatrix and Lyra.

"What the hell Andy?" Sirius hissed, his wand too drawn.

"Bellatrix is reformed, Sirius." Andromeda said loudly. "I have offered her my protection."

"But she is answerable to the one Lord Black" Sirius retorted. "You're words are not binding. Step aside."

"You will attack a woman that has done you no harm? Who is with child?" Andromeda challenged him.

"She's a death eater" Sirius spat out.

"A former death eater." Andromeda corrected him. "I thought you of all people would underst-"

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Sirius roared. Lyra began crying.

"I was NEVER a death eater." Sirius said. "I never tortured people into insanity. I never murdered in cold blood. I never ever took the dark mark."

"We all make mistakes Sirius" Andromeda said coldly. "You impregnated your best friends wife on their honeymoon. I never once judged you."

"I- you- You can't compare a moment of- carelessness to- to willingly and consistently carrying out murder, torture…." Sirius muttered.

"I am only pointing out, Sirius, that we all have moments in the past that we regret. That does not show the best of who we are. Bellatrix happens to have many moments of regret and wishes to start a new life and leave her past behind."

"And you believe her?" Sirius snided. "How do you know she isn't waiting for Voldemort to regain strength and offer her child in his service?"

"I trust her." Andromeda said. "That's all you need to know."

"Sirius." Bellatrix stood up, holding her swollen stomach and gently pulling Andromeda aside. "I give you my word."

"Your allegiance is with the dark lord." Sirius said.

Bellatrix took off her amulet.

"Then I pledge my allegiance to you."

"What?" Andromeda said. "This is madness, you can't-"

But Bellatrix had already knelt before Sirius and summoned a stone basin from the kitchen.

"I, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, pledge allegiance to the Lord Sirius Black and the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black thereby cutting all ties to the dark lord. I give you my life, my property and my children in exchange for your protection. I bind myself to you in blood."

Bellatrix cut her wrist and the blood dripped into the basin.

"Sirius!" Andromeda cried.

But Sirius had knelt and slashed his wrist.

"I, Sirius Orion Black, accept your pledge and offer you the protection of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. I accept your life, property and children. I accept your binding, in blood."

"Andromeda" Bellatrix pleaded.

"No"

"I trust Sirius." Bellatrix said impatiently.

Andromeda looked into her eyes, then Sirius's unrelenting ones.

"I, Andromeda Black Tonks, do bear witness to the pledge of allegiance of one Bellatrix Black Lestrange to the Lord Sirius Orion Black and the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. By law, by blood, by magic. So have I sworn, so mote it be."

The blood in the bowl whirled in the magic emitting from all three wands and it rose in the Black Family Crest before fading all together.

"Wow" Lyra whispered from behind Andromeda's leg.

"Will you accept me?" Bellatrix said, now on her feet.

"You were mad enough to pledge a blood oath." Sirius said, unable to look her in the eye. "Have the ministry confiscated the Lestrange vault?"

Bellatrix nodded.

"Excellent. Half your gold will be placed in the vault of Neville Longbottom as reparations for your crime. The other half will be donated to the Janus Thickey ward in St. Mungos."

Bellatrix nodded.

"Are you planning to continue under the identity of Cedrella Black?" Sirius asked.

"Yes" Bellatrix said.

"Then I will draw up the papers for the recognition of your name and a vault for personal use."

"She's working at the school with me" Andromeda added.

Sirius nodded.

"I will contribute a personal allowance as tradition dictates for Black widows. I trust you will be divorcing Lestrange."

"I will." Bellatrix said.

"And you will be living here throughout the pregnancy?" Sirius asked.

"She will." Andromeda interrupted.

"The house isn't very large, no offence intended-" Sirius started.

"I understand. Once the baby is born I will see to buying our own house. Near here." Bellatrix said with a smile at Andromeda.

Sirius sat down, looking grimly into the distance.

"I need a drink."

"I think we all do." Ted said. He had been standing by the door in the entirety of the conversation and now summoned a bottle of firewhiskey.

They all silently sipped their whiskey, Bellatrix and Lyra had lemonade.

"Wait… the father can't be Lestrange." Sirius suddenly said in confusion. "Unless Azkaban started doing conjugal cells after I left…"

"Lestrange isn't the father." Bellatrix said nervously.

"The lowlife left you to raise the child alone?" Sirius frowned.

"He's- compromised." Andromeda said.

"Hmph." Sirius grunted.

Gienah returned to school the following week just as the exams had finished. She hadn't told anyone that she'd be coming back deciding to surprise them instead. She had spent the last week spending time with Lupin. Hearing about his burglaries and drunken nights with Dung. But not once did he mention Mary Jane. When she asked he said quietly, I will tell you but first I must find her. Gienah mourned that night knowing she was no longer the single object of her father's affections. She curled up with Sirius that evening and asked him what would happen to her if he fell in love. Would he love her more than her? Sirius looked at her, his silver eyes molten as he replied roughly "Never".

"Gienah?" Hermione saw her first. They were sat under their favorite tree by the lake. Hermione, Ron and Harry. Her three best friends.

Gienah smiled.

They spent the last few days retelling adventures from the last two weeks. Apparently Gienah wasn't the only one saving lives.

"And we had to take Buckbeak away just at the right moment." Ron was telling the story in vivid detail. He made the right sound effects and the right facial expressions as he described how they had rescued the hippogriff from the fate promised to him by Macnair's axe.

"You did WHAT?" Harry said when she told them about how she had sliced Carmichael's hand clean off his arm.

With Cedric there was less talking as they spent the final night in Hogwarts together.

"Goodbye Miss Black" A girl waved as her mother walked her out the school gates.

"Bye Eloise!" Bellatrix waved and returned to the school.

"Andromeda, these kids are running me off my feet." Bellatrix sighed, sinking into a beanchair.

"Hmm." Andromeda she said as she cleared the classroom.

"Something on your mind most dear sister of mine?" Bellatrix sang.

"The whole wide world, and all things in it, sits on her shoulders and… and…" Lyra frowned.

"He's been back for two weeks Bella." Andromeda finally said. "Sirius says he's been out most nights since Gienah's returned to Hogwarts and won't tell him where he's going. Sirius knows he's looking for Mary Jane."

"I know" Bellatrix said quietly. "What if he's changed his mind? Who in their right mind wants to have a baby with a fugitive?"

"Others would ask who in their right minds would want a baby with a werewolf." Andromeda shrugged.

Bellatrix didn't say anything.

"Gienah's coming home on Saturday." Andromeda said. "I've invited Remus and Sirius for dinner tonight."

"Dromeda!" Bellatrix stood up. "I need to get ready, I need to…"

Andromeda smiled as Bellatrix grabbed Lyra's hand and ushered her out of the classroom.

Bellatrix adjusted the flowers for the third time and twirled her hair nervously.

"You look beautiful." Andromeda said as she set out the wine glasses. "Go do something useful. Check on the vegetables."

Ten minutes later Ted answered the door.

"Good to see you back old chap" Ted hugged Lupin.

"Good to be back I'll tell you" Lupin laughed, clapping him on the back.

Lupin came through first and dropped the wine on the floor when he saw her.

Bellatrix wore a dark green dress with a low neckline and exposed shoulders. Her hair was piled messily on her head with a jewel encrusted comb holding it in place. Her eyes were more defined than usual. Merlin, she was beautiful. Lupin eyed her swollen stomach and his heart ached. Lupin ran to her and kissed her with raw unrelenting passion.

Sirius looked horrified.

"Yuk" Lyra said.

"Yuk indeed." Sirius said grimly, folding his arms. "Mary Jane?"

Bellatrix untangled herself from Lupin's embrace.

"Don't tell me you're the father of her child?" Sirius said weakly.

Lupin grinned and kissed her again, then knelt down and kissed her stomach.

"The world cup's this summer." Ron grinned as he put down the newspaper. "Dad might be able to get tickets. What d'you reckon Harry?"

"Definitely." Harry nodded. "Dad's brought his tickets already. Courtesy of Crouch."

"You never told me!" Ron frowned.

"I'm telling you now." Harry laughed.

"He's got a private box." Gienah said. "You can come if you want. I think there's three more seats in there."

Gienah was sitting on Cedric's lap in the crowded compartment.

"Hermione?" Harry said. "Fancy going to the world cup?"

"Ooh yes please!" Hermione said.

"You're coming aren't you?" Gienah twisted in Cedric's lap.

Cedric nodded, pressing his nose against hers.

"I'm going to miss you." Gienah whispered as the rest of the compartment talked about the upcoming world cup.

"Your dad's invited me to dinner." Cedric coughed.

"Which one?" Gienah widened her eyes.

"Sirius Black."

"How dare he ask you without informing me!" Gienah huffed.

"I'm sure we'll get along fine" Cedric soothed her. "If he approves I can visit you more often. And we'll continue with date night."

Gienah sighed and leaned back into the corner and played with his soft hair and eventually dozed off, drooling against Cedric's chest.

"Gienah" Cedric whispered.

She opened her eyes and blushed when she realized she'd drooled over his shirt.

"Oops" Gienah said.

"Time to get off" Cedric laughed.

The carriage was empty and she heard the commotion outside. Gienah bit her lip, her eyes flashing mischieviously.

"Not yet" she murmured.

Gienah brought Cedric's mouth against hers and kissed him lightly. Her teeth pulling at his lips. Her tongue flickering at his parting and her hands in his brown hair. Cedric stroked her side softly, the other hand wrapped around her back. Gienah pulled away and looked in his darkened eyes.

"I don't think I've ever told you how beautiful you are." Gienah whispered.

Cedric raised an eyebrow.

"Funny. I was thinking the exact same thing." Cedric kissed her lips lightly.

Gienah stood up as Cedric brought down their trunks and left the compartment. They walked out onto the muggle platform and looked around. Their families were waiting for them and it looked like they were the only ones. Sirius was looking moodily at Cedric, folding his arms. Lupin glared at him. Cedric's mother was looking impatient.

Cedric turned and kissed her on the forehead.

"See you next week" Cedric murmured.


	30. Alyssandra

Chapter Thirty-Four: **Alyssandra**

"She'll hate me." Bellatrix said.

"She doesn't know you." Lupin sighed.

"She knows what I've done."

"If she loves me. she'll accept you." Lupin reasoned.

"She's friends with Longbottom." Bellatrix said. "I wouldn't forgive me."

"You've been punished."

"I escaped."

"Dromeda!" Lupin called. "Your turn!"

Andromeda walked in a few second later and passed the apron to Lupin. He walked out.

"If Dora's managed to find peace with you Gienah will" Andromeda said, fiddling with her hair in the mirror. "I won't say she'll forgive you at once. It'll take time. But she's as good as Remus's daughter and she means the world to him."

"I know that!" Bellatrix sulked. "It's exactly why I'm terrified."

"Gienah knows she's meeting Mary Jane tonight." Andromeda said, taking her hand and leading her downstairs.

They were eating outside due to the lack of space inside. Ted was busy charming an open marquee over the round table. Lupin was busy lining the cheese souffles. The mushrooms for the risotto were being chopped by a magical knife. Lyra was grating chocolate though by the look of her chocolate covered mouth she'd been eating more than she'd been grating. The kitchen smelt divine.

"We've been spoilt with our other halves Bella." Andromeda smiled.

Both Ted and Lupin were more than competent cooks.

"What's for dessert?"

"Tirasu!" Lyra said.

"Mmm" Bellatrix said. "Have you made the mixture Lyra?"

"Mhm" Lyra nodded. "Remus helped."

Bellatrix laughed.

"Could you layer the tiramisu Bella" Lupin said as he placed the souffle in the oven. "I need to start on the ice cream."

"You're not making it from scratch?" Bellatrix asked, watching him slice open a vanilla pod.

"We aren't having that artificial crystallized crap you put in your sandwiches." Lupin said.

"Remus said the c-word!" Lyra said. "Swear jar".

Lupin rolled his eyes and summoned a sickle to give to Lyra's outstretched hand.

"There must be a small fortune in that thing." Lupin muttered.

"It's useful for when the owl's deliver the newspaper." Andromeda said. "What can I do?"

"Green salad." Lupin pointed at the pile of vegetables by the mushrooms.

"Mmmm" Tonks walked in. Lyra ran to hug her sister.

"You haven't been home in weeks" Lyra whined. "Don't you like us anymore?"

"I came for dinner four days ago Lyra." Tonks laughed. "Merlin, you're getting heavy. Must be all the Alaska toasties you've been having."

"Hmph" Andromeda snorted. "Bella's gone off peanut butter. It's anything preserved or pickled. Pickled cucumber, garlic, lemons, cheese, mango…"

"Can I help?" Tonks said, sticking her finger into the tiramisu mixture.

"No!" Everyone said at once, including Lyra.

"Jeez, sorry I asked" Tonks mumbled and went out into the garden to speak to her dad.

"Did you know Narcissa had a baby last Christmas?" Lupin frowned. "Gienah told me yesterday. And you won't believe this. She invited them over for dinner next week"

"WHAT?" Both Andromeda and Bellatrix shouted.

"She's had a baby?" Andromeda asked excitedly. "Not a girl?"

"A girl. Her names Ara Elladora Malfoy. Funny that." Lupin said as he poured hot water over the coffee.

"Funny how?"

"Mmm. Gienah, Nymphadora and Lyra's middle names are Elladora." Andromeda said.

"I'm naming my daughter Elladora." Bellatrix said, holding her belly.

"Does that mean I have another cousin?" Lyra asked.

"Yup." Lupin answered.

"I want to meet her!"

"Gienah said to ask you to come Andy." Lupin said. "But only if you were comfortable with it."

"I don't know if I'll be comfortable but I would like to meet my niece."

"Looks like all the sisters will be reunited soon enough" Lupin smiled.

The bell rang. Bellatrix gulped. Lyra ran to the door with her chocolate covered fingers, Andromeda running after her yelling not to touch anything.

"Genna! Harry!" They heard Lyra scream from the kitchen.

Lupin held Bellatrix's hand and walked into the living room.

"Gienah" Lupin said nervously.

Gienah and Harry turned. Harry drew his wand. Gienah crouched down onto the floor, baring her teeth. Lyra ran in front of Bellatrix.

"Don't touch Aunt Bella!" Lyra shouted, her eyebrows furrowed and her hands on her hip.

"Aunt Bella?" Gienah hissed. "Bellatrix Lestrange is a wanted convict."

"Bella is the mother of my baby" Lupin said gently.

Gienah looked at Bellatrix's stomach.

"Gen darling, lets talk about this like adults." Sirius drawled.

Gienah rose and turned accusingly at her father.

"You knew?!"

"I only found out they were together two weeks ago" Sirius folded his arms and looked down at her. "I trust Bellatrix. She pledged allegiance to me under a blood oath."

"A blood oath?" Gienah lowered her wand. "Are you crazy?"

"That's what I said." Tutted Andromeda.

"What's a blood oath?" Harry asked.

"She's bound herself to dad and the House of Black, if she betrays him she dies. If she lies, he knows. All her assets belong to him. I suspect any of her children with be children of Black." Gienah said looking at Bellatrix coolly.

"Wait a second!" Lupin said. "I didn't know this. My daughter can't be a Lupin?"

"Well, I suppose she could have Lupin as her middle name." Sirius said bashfully.

"Can't bloody believe this." Lupin muttered.

Lyra outstretched her palm once again.

"So you're Mary Jane?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Bellatrix said, fixated by his scar.

"You don't want to murder me?" Harry asked.

"Bellatrix Black Lestrange, as Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black I forbid you to murder anyone in this house." Sirius drawled.

They all felt a tingling of magic.

"She's your slave" Lupin said with disgust.

"I won't use it more than necessary. I wasn't going to trust her without some kind of guarantee." Sirius sighed.

"Where is she going to live?" Gienah asked Lupin.

"Well, I wanted to ask your permission first." Lupin said to Harry and Gienah. "Sirius doesn't mind. I think he doesn't want to lose his cook."

Sirius barked with laughter.

"You want her to move in?" Harry said.

"But we won't have a guest room and the dining room is tiny and what if they decide to have more children?" Gienah said.

"I've spoken to Arthur about doing a full reconstruction of the cottage. We'll add another floor and extend the whole house by five yards."

"Well, we can't have you moving out" Gienah grumbled. "When is the cottage being reconstructed?"

"I was waiting for your approval" Lupin said. "The problem is the baby's being born in September and we'll need everyone out for a week."

"We could live at the Burrow." Harry offered.

Gienah nodded.

"I could probably crash at the camp" Sirius said.

"I'll owl Ron and ask if we can stay next week." Gienah said reluctantly. "It'd be best if Lestrange… Bellatrix settled in."

"Wonderful" Sirius said loudly. "Now I am famished so maybe we could all go and see what Remus has in store for us tonight because it smells ruddy brilliant- no Lyra - ruddy is not a swear word."

The dinner went well, considering. Bellatrix sat between Lupin and Lyra so they didn't interact much. Sirius was boisterous enough to ease the conversation through any tricky areas and truthfully, Gienah had never seen Lupin look more happy. She was going to have a baby sister.

The next day Cedric came over for dinner through the flu. He brought Sirius's favourite whisky and a box of honeydukes chocolates to appease Lupin.

Gienah smiled shyly at him as he came and sat down beside her on the sofa. They couldn't kiss but she intertwined their fingers and held his hand in her lap.

"What are your intentions with our daughter?" Sirius said as he sat down.

"Dad!" Gienah blushed. "We're barely out of school".

"He's seventeen this year." Sirius said.

"I care for your daughter very much Mr. Black" Cedric said without a blush. "My intentions are only honorable."

"What are your career aspirations?" Lupin asked.

"I'm interested in following my father into the ministry. Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I seek to reform our antiquated laws against centaurs, werewolves, goblins and merpeople. Among others." Cedric said passionately. "We should not seek to control those of our level of intelligence."

Lupin's eyes softened. Sirius nodded. Gienah beamed at him.

Gienah went into the kitchen to help Lupin prepare dinner. Gienah whispered to Harry to make sure Sirius behaved.

"I never thought he'd be your type" Lupin said as he heated the soup on the stove. "He's handsome, intelligent, well-mannered, tall…"

"Yes…" Gienah said.

"He's not very exciting." Lupin hesitated. "I thought you were one for epic romances and adventure. Not Cinderella's knight in shining armour."

"I guess I thought the same at first." Gienah said. "He's mature and polite and … sensible"

They both laughed.

"I'm not in love with him, no." Gienah confessed. "But he makes me feel safe. In his arms I feel protected and whole. I feel normal."

"Oh Gen" Lupin hugged her. "Who wants to be normal?"

When they served the food and called the three boys into the dining room they were talking about the World Cup.

"England was… " Harry shook his head.

"No, Harry, we said we'd never speak of the day" Sirius said dramatically.

Cedric laughed.

"Don't encourage him Cedric." Gienah said. "He gets worse."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at Gienah.

"See?" Gienah smiled.

"Something smells good." Cedric said.

"Red pepper soup." Gienah said as she brought out the bowls. Lupin brought out the bread and butter.

"I saw the plans on the table." Cedric said. "Are you redecorating?"

"Oh I forgot to tell you!" Gienah said. "We're renovating the house. Adding another floor and making the dining room bigger."

"Any particular reason?" Cedric looked at Sirius. Sirius laughed and pointed at Remus.

"He knocked a girl up." Sirius said.

Lupin groaned.

"He met her while undercover. Her names Cedrella Black. Granddaughter of the squib Marius Black." Gienah said.

"Congratulations." Cedric smiled. "You two have another sibling."

Harry laughed.

"Tell me about it. Bel- Cedrella's coming to live here so I'll be living with my god-father, half-sister, stepdad, stepmom and step-sister." Harry said.

"I'm trying to encourage dad to get married." Gienah laughed. "We'll have to add another floor."

Sirius shook his head.

"Bachelor for life" Sirius grinned.

The next two days Gienah, Harry, Sirius and Lupin spent their evenings tweaking floor plans. They were enlarging the spiralling staircase. The dining room was doubled in size and a small entrance hall replaced the passage. The entire first floor would become an open library without a single wall so the stairs would come directly into the library. The second floor would consist of three rooms; Lupin and Bellatrix's bedroom, a nursery and a guest room. The third floor and the attic would remain the same though the three bedrooms on the third floor would be evenly enlarged with the whole house. Gienah insisted on a dungeon but they settled on a cellar to keep a pantry and the wine.

On the last night they enchanted a white marquee with Ted's handiwork out in the garden. The edges hanged with ivy and roses. It was a warm night with a light breeze. Sirius enchanted some floating candles and enlarged the living rooms round mahogany chairs were covered in red silk and tied with deep red velvet bows. Andromeda decorated the table, and when she was finished it looked like a masterpiece. About a hundred red roses sat in the centre and she had brought over her crystal glass set and silver cutlery. The charger plates were gold and the red napkins were folded into swans.

"Magical" Gienah said in awe, Lyra was sitting on her hip with wide eyes.

"This looks fancier than Hogwarts in Christmas." Harry agreed.

They had hired waiting staff for the occasion. Andromeda dressed them in red waistcoats and red bow ties. She herself wore scarlet dress robes as she lined the waiters up in a row and explained the courses and who would be serving what wine and how to stand and how to serve the food at exactly the same time.

The drinks reception would be further out of the garden under the gnarled apple tree. They had enchanted the wine glasses and set up a bar complete wines, butterbeer, mead, gin, vodka and various whiskeys.

Gienah went into the kitchen to help Remus who was slaving over the horderves. He had done his best to create a menu that would cater everyone but remained refined and elegant in his choices.

Two hours later the entire party were only waiting for the Malfoys. Lyra was already dressed in silvery grey dress robes matching with Gienah. Bellatrix looked regal in black. She wore emerald earrings Lupin had given her for her birthday. Harry, Sirius and Lupin wore silver grey waistcoats and robes. Ted wore a muggle tuxedo. Tonks wore an ivory muggle frock with matching gloves. Her hair was charmed black and her eyes light blue. She wore a fur stole over her bare shoulders. Tonks said she was dressed to welcome royalty and though she said it in a teasing tone she did enjoy to dress up. To everyone's surprise she had invited Charlie as her date.

At seven on the dot the floo flickered and out came Draco Malfoy. Gienah and Lyra were the only ones in the living room. Lyra smiled shyly and Draco looked at her in fascination then at Gienah.

"You two look like sisters." Draco said before bending down to say hello to Lyra.

"Hello Lyra" Draco said softly. "My name is Draco and I believe you are my cousin."

Lyra nodded, her big grey eyes looked curiously at his, so similar to her own.

"I have a baby sister who looks a lot like you Lyra. Would you like to meet her?" Draco smiled.

Lyra nodded excitedly.

"I brought you a present." Draco said, handing her a small package wrapped in green.

Lyra tore it open and Draco chuckled.

Lyra gasped as she opened a velvet case and found a necklace and earring set with small glittering emeralds.

"Are those real emeralds Malfoy?" Gienah said disbelievingly.

Malfoy tutted.

"You wouldn't think you were heir to one of the wealthiest families in Britain."

Gienah rolled her eyes.

The floo flickered once more and out came a formidable looking man, with silver grey hair and eyes so blue they looked white. He was wearing silver dress robes and in his hand he held the infamous malfoy cane. There were rumours that in it was a sword that could kill by merely touching the point to a man's heart.

"Lord Malfoy." Gienah bowed. Lyra hid behind her once more.

"Lady Black" Malfoy reached his hand out and kissed Gienah lightly.

The floo flickered a final time and out came Narcissa Malfoy with a baby in her arms. Narcissa was as beautiful as her husband was frightening. Her blonde hair was in twisted into an elegant bun. She wore dress robes of midnight blue that shimmered as she moved. Her ears were adorned with sapphires that made her blue eyes sparkle.

"Lady Malfoy" Gienah bowed once more.

"Nonsense darling!" Narcissa smiled and kissed her on both cheeks. "No need for formalities between family. And oh my goodness, is this little Lyra?"

Lyra poked her head out and looked at the kind woman holding a bundle in her arms.

"Lyra" Narcissa knelt down. "This is your cousin Ara."

Lyra stepped forward and looked at the baby in her arms. She had black hair like her own and grey eyes. The baby held her hand out to Lyra and laughed. Gienah felt her heart melt. She reached her arm out.

"May I?"

"Please do! The nanny has her days off on Sunday and she hasn't much taken to our new house elf. My arms feel as if they might drop off." Narcissa handed her the baby.

Gienah felt something she'd only felt once before. The baby looked so much like the very girl who had elicited the same response. She felt protective and so much love, so so much love she could burst with it.

"Ara" She whispered. "Ara Elladora Malfoy."

"Draco, did you give them our gifts?" Narcissa asked, brushing her robes of any soot that may have fallen.

"I gave Lyra her gift mother." Draco said politely. Gienah looked at him in surprise. He was no longer arrogant and pompous. He still looked aristocratic but it was natural on him. Had something changed? Or was it the presence of his parents that made him so?

"Gienah" Draco walked to her and handed her a similarly wrapped gift. She had also received an emerald jewellery set. Except hers were much more ornate and while Lyra had a pendant, hers was an evening necklace and gold instead of silver.

"Every young lady should have an emerald set" Narcissa said with a smile.

"Thank you." Gienah breathed. "It's beautiful."

"And it matches your eyes."

"I'll show you to the reception." Gienah smiled, placing their gifts in the cabinet.

"This is… charming." Lucius Malfoy said, looking out into the garden.

Gienah raised an eyebrow at the tall man. He smirked an all too familiar smirk. Sirius came and greeted his guests.

"Narcissa" Sirius kissed her hand. "As beautiful as ever."

"Sirius." Narcissa blushed. Lucius frowned ever so slightly.

"Lord Malfoy." Sirius bowed. "And this must be Ara."

Sirius took the baby in his arms and lifted her up.

"Are you sure she's a Malfoy" Sirius chuckled.

Narcissa blushed once more. Sirius thought hard.

"Black, think any harder you'll give your pretty head a migraine." Lucius drawled.

"I'm just thinking if I got too drunk to remember a beautiful woman like Narcissa last year."

Malfoy growled at him. Narcissa walked towards the bar where her son was trying to order a glass of firewhiskey.

"Relax Lucius. I'd be proud to have a woman like her at your age. Sixty isn't it?" Sirius said.

Lucius clicked his tongue.

"Dad" Gienah warned him. "Don't you have a reunion to conduct?"

Sirius walked away with Ara in his arms and led Narcissa to Andromeda and Bellatrix. Narcissa dropped her glass. Bellatrix sighed. It seemed to happen every time. Narcissa cried and hugged her and cried again when she saw she was pregnant.

The three sisters sat together at dinner. Malfoy and Draco sat beside each other and Gienah sat near Malfoy. Sirius looked after Ara the entire evening. As they finished their dessert, a towering cream cake with summer fruits, Remus stood up and tapped his glass with a spoon.

"I am delighted to be present to such a happy occasion. The Black family has finally been reunited and I wish the House good health and fortune." Lupin said looking at Sirius. "But most importantly I wish to welcome Bellatrix Black to my family and for my loved ones to bare witness to my declaration of love. I love you Bella. I love our daughter, and I love the future with you in it. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Remus had sunk to his knees and in his hands was a ring with a blood red ruby on a golden band. Bellatrix started crying before she said yes. Sirius wolf whistled. Harry and Tonks cheered. Lyra jumped on her chair and everyone else clapped. Narcissa and Andromeda were crying. Sirius took a photograph as Remus put her ring on her finger and kissed her stomach, then her waiting mouth.

The celebrations lasted well into the night. Lyra ended up falling asleep in Lucius's lap and Ara in Sirius's. Remus got absolutely bladdered and Charlie and Tonks had slinked off at some point in the night. Gienah, Harry and Draco had managed to steal a whole bottle of firewhiskey and played strip poker in the attic. Harry was an awful bluff and ended up in his boxers. Gienah ended up in her slip and Draco shirtless. Sirius eventually found them when everyone had begun leaving and shouted at them for ten minutes straight though he slurred most of his words.

Gienah climbed into Harry's bed that night, her head pounding from the alcohol.

Harry groaned when she hugged him from the back.

"Genna?" Harry croaked, turning around.

"I couldn't sleep" Gienah whispered.

Harry sighed and went back to sleep.

Gienah woke up to Harry thrashing in his bed.

"Harry!"

Harry was clutching his scar and moaning in agony.

"Harry, wake up!" Gienah shook him. "Harry!"

Sirius came running in with only his boxers on.

"Harry?" Sirius said gently as he woke up and looked around frantically. "You're safe."

"What happened?" Gienah asked him, still shaken from seeing him scream like that.

"Nightmare." Harry gasped. "But seemed - so real".

Sirius summoned a glass of water and gently put the rim to his lips. Harry sipped a little before falling back in his bed, clutching his scar.

"Two people familiar… one stranger." Harry frowned, thinking hard. "Darkened room… snake, Wormtail and… a cold, high voice, the voice of Voldemort."

Gienah looked sharply at Sirius.

"Remus!" Sirius called.

"Old man… Voldemort and Wormtail planning to kill… kill… me!" Harry was shuddering, his face in his hands.

"What is it?" Remus came in half-asleep wearing a robe and not much else.

"Merlin's beard Remus!" Sirius looked away from him. Remus blushed and tied his robe properly.

"What happened?" Remus said looking at Harry sweating in his bed.

"He had a nightmare and woke up clutching his scar." Gienah summarized.

"Not a nightmare!" Harry said. "They killed the old man. Voldemort killed. Wormtail. Snake."

"We need to contact the professor" Gienah said urgently.

Sirius nodded and sent his patronus to Snape.

"But last time scar hurt when he was near" Harry breathed.

"He can't be here!" Gienah said.

"You two need to go to the Burrow." Sirius said.

"But the professors coming here" Gienah whined.

"If he's here you two need to get out of here." Sirius said.

Lupin ran out and called Bellatrix.

Thirty minutes later they were packed and dressed, standing in the living room. Bellatrix had returned to Andromeda's house by apparition minutes after Lupin warned her.

"Don't cause too much trouble" Sirius said.

"And help Molly out during meals, she has enough mouths to feed." Lupin said, kissing Harry and Gienah on the foreheads.

"The Burrow!" Gienah said clearly and she was whipped away in a matter of seconds. Mrs. Weasley was waiting in the living room wearing a dressing gown looking as if she's just got out of bed.

"Oh you poor children!" Mrs. Weasley said hugging them both motherly. "Sirius assures me it's more a precaution that anything else but- yes - better safe than sorry. You must be exhausted. Harry, Ron's room is all the way at the top. Gienah dear, Ginny's room is on the first landing. We've already got the beds ready for you."

Mrs. Weasley ushered them up the stairs. Gienah said goodnight to Harry with a worried look but Mrs. Weasley was right behind her so she went into the small room on the left and squinted in the darkness. Ginny was fast asleep in her bed. Squeezed into the room was a folding guest bed. Gienah sighed and didn't bother changing, falling to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"GENNA!"

Gienah groaned.

"When did you get here?" Ginny was jumping on her bed. "I thought you'd be here after lunch."

"Ugh, Ginnyyy" Gienah whined. "I'm so hungover".

"No frikkin' way!" Ginny hit her with a pillow. "You got drunk without me? With whooo?"

"Ouch" Gienah blearily opened to her eyes. "The sunlight hurts! Close the window."

"Tell. Me." Ginny was beating her up with a pillow.

"Merlin… Harry and Draco." Gienah said.

Ginny froze.

"Draco Malfoy?" Gienah said in disbelief.

"Yes" Gienah put her head under the pillow only to have it ripped away from her hands.

"How?" Gienah breathed.

"Dinner party last night. Malfoys guests of honour. Strip poker. Firewhiskey." Gienah summarized.

"I can't believe this. I'm holed up in here having to put up with Fred and George's lame pranks, mum flying off the handle every few minutes and Percy going on about cauldron bottoms and you're drinking and playing strip poker and having dinner parties… "

"I promise this year we'll get drunk, play strip poker and host a dinner party." Gienah said. "Now please, can I go back to bed?!"

Ginny grinned and mimed zipping her mouth, before skipping out of her bedroom.

She closed her eyes for another ten seconds before someone came barging into the room.

"Gen!" Ron screamed.

"Why do you all hate me?" Gienah moaned, hugging her pillow.

"It's almost eleven" Ron said.

Gienah grumbled.

"She's hungover Ronald." Came Hermione's voice.

"Her-mio-ne" Gienah said in surprise.

"What?" Ron said. "Is that why Harry keeps telling me to stop yelling?"

"You are yelling!" Gienah yelled.

"They got drunk on firewhiskey and played strip poker with Draco Malfoy." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"WHAT!?" Ron shouted.

"Ron you really are yelling." Hermione said with a sigh. "Leave her alone, she can wake up for lunch."

Hermione dragged him out of the room and Gienah managed to get another hours of sleep. Gienah came downstairs to find Hermione reading a book, Ginny writing in her diary and Ron lying on the sofa looking bored out of his wits.

"Where's Harry?" Gienah asked.

"Kitchen." Ron yawned.

Gienah joined Harry and Molly in the kitchen.

"Afternoon dear" Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully. "Harry tells me you're a vegetablerion. We're big eaters in this house but Harry says you can get fake meat! I'm making a pumpkin soup for lunch and some crusty bread but I'll see what I can rustle up for dinner."

"Oh please don't go to too much trouble" GIenah said. "I can always have an omelette with salad."

"Nonsense." Mrs. Weasley said. "I can make a nice bit of goats cheese pie."

Gienah smiled fondly at the motherly witch.

"How's Lyra doing?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she buttered an entire loaf of bread.

"We had a dinner party last night and she met her cousin Ara."

"Oh yes, Andromeda owled me about seeing Narcissa." Mrs. Weasley said.

"Can I help?" Gienah said, looking around the large kitchen.

"You two are such helpful children." Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Ron could take a leaf out of your book. Now, the tomatoes, cucumbers and celery need slicing for the sandwiches."

"How are you finding working at the school?" Gienah asked.

"It's so nice to get out of the house and have the extra money." Mrs. Weasley said. "I never had the chance to work after Hogwarts what with seven children but teaching is such a fulfilling career. Now Ginny's at school I don't get so lonely."

"Listen to me, going on." Mrs. Weasley laughed. "How is Cedrella?"

"She and Remus got engaged yesterday" Gienah suddenly remembered. "Remus brought a beautiful ruby ring."

"Ooh!" Mrs. Weasley stopped slicing the cheese. "She didn't tell me!"

"Well it was last night." Gienah said.

"Goodness. Well, I am glad. Remus is such a handsome man." Mrs. Weasley said. "I was going to speak to Andromeda about this but seeing as you're going to be her step-daughter what do you think about a baby shower?"

"Oh yes! We must!" Gienah said enthusiastically. "I can bake her cake and we can invite Narcissa and Mrs. Creevey."

"I'm glad" Mrs. Weasley beamed.

They got on with making the sandwiches whilst talking ideas for the baby shower.

"Lunch is ready!" Mrs. Weasley shouted up the stairs.

They set the table in the kitchen. There was three platters of sandwiches, some homemade bread, soup and two jugs of pumpkin juice.

There was a stampede from the stairs. Fred and George ran in and took their seats and began hitting their cutlery to the table. Gienah shook her head.

"Enough!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

"Gienah!" Fred said in surprise. "We weren't expecting you till this afternoon."

"We've got enough to play a spot of quidditch!" George said.

Ginny, Hermione and Ron came into the kitchen.

"Someone say quidditch?" Ron said as he sat down and grabbed a sandwich.

"After lunch." George said. "Three against three. Hermione can referee."

Gienah sat down and dug into the soup.

"Hey, did any of you know that Charlie was seeing Dora?" Gienah said suddenly, remembering last night.

"Tonks?" Asked Fred.

"Yup" Harry said. "I saw them kissing last night."

"Why do I miss everything?" Ginny said crossly.

"Tonks invited him as her date and it was a small family dinner so I think they might be seeing each other a while." Harry thought out loud.

"Wouldn't it be nice to see Charlie settle down?" Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Bill hasn't brought anyone home since seventh year."

Fred and George looked at eachother with a smirk.

"An auror marries a dragon slayer" Ginny said romantically.

"Dragon keeper" corrected Gienah, a little huffily.

Ginny raised a dark red brow at Gienah. Gienah returned her look with a narrowing of eyes.

"What's the plan for the week?" Hermione asked quickly as an awkward silence descended the table.

"We should visit Luna." Ginny said, flipping her long hair back. "I owled her this morning."

They heard steps on the stairs and turned to see Percy enter the kitchen. Gienah thought he looked odd in a t-shirt and slacks, but when he looked her way she smiled politely.

"Good afternoon Gienah." Percy greeted her. "I trust you are well."

"Afternoon Percy" Gienah said with a small smile. "Very well. Mrs. Weasley tells me you secures a position at the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Congratulations. Under Barty Crouch no less."

Percy seemed to swell up as she spoke. Fred and George just looked at him with slight amusement and slight annoyance.

"Perce here has an important matter in which he is researching" said Fred very seriously.

"A matter between life and death-" George said darkly.

"The future of bottoms is in this young man's hands-" Fred continued, now suppressing his laughter.

Percy glowered before turning to Gienah with a look of apology.

"Cauldron bottom thickness." Percy explained. "A neglected matter in trading regulations. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin - leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year- But I won't bore you with my research-"

Fred and George's spoons clattered and Ginny looked extremely peeved off.

"But you can bore us?" Ron said disbelievingly.

"It's never too late to begin forging a career path." Percy continued. "What with your father's connections."

"I think I'd be interested in completing a muggle university degree." Gienah said, looking at Hermione.

"How.. unconventional." Percy said.

"Actually Percy" Ron said. "I was thinking of doing the same thing."

"I'm glad you're thinking of your career so early Ronald" Percy said. "But I don't think the ministry recognizes muggle qualifications."

"Well, they should." Hermione said hotly. "It demonstrates an ability to think creatively and some skills are transferable to both worlds."

Percy considers this.

"I reckon that sounds pretty cool." Fred nodded. "Working at the cinema you see muggle magic. It isn't as philistine as you'd think."

George pretended to start snoring.

"It wouldn't hurt to listen to some career advice." snapped Percy.

"We know what we're doing thanks" Fred said touchily.

"Shall we play quidditch?" Hermione said with a false smile.

Ron and Gienah looked at each other before leaving the table.

"What are Fred and George doing?" Gienah asked Ron as they walked to the orchard.

"I've heard them whispering about a joke shop." Ron said. "Makes sense I suppose."

"You really going to do the muggle degree?"

"I, ur, been talkin' to Mike and looking at the degrees they have and it's way more varied than what Wizard's offer." Ron said.

"What degree?" Gienah asked.

"Engineering" mumbled Ron.

Gienah beamed at him.

"You two!" Fred said, flying so close to them they had to duck.

Harry, Fred and Ron played against Gienah, Ginny and George. Gienah's team won easily with the only natural chaser on their team. It was a warm afternoon. In between matches they lounged in the sun and did broomstick races. THe race between Gienah and Harry was the most nerve wracking. Both sported firebolts and neither had tested the limits on their broomsticks yet. George provided the commentary while Ginny stood by the finish line. Harry had won by pressing his body flat against the broom and allowing the broomstick to take control. The result was he finished a few seconds earlier but he kept going for half a mile before regaining control. The Weasley's then took turn on the firebolts.

They returned after their last match sweaty and hungry. They raced to the showers but the girls got their first so when it was time for dinner the girls came down refreshed and clean while Mrs. Weasley told the boys off for their grubby fingers. Gienah and Ginny helped in the kitchen this time when Arthur came in looking wiped off his feet.

"Spent the entire day taking apart the cottage." Arthur said as he sat down. "I haven't used up so much magic since the underground fiasco."

"Ooh, how'd it going?" Gienah asked excitedly.

"We started digging up the cellar" Arthur said. "We're going to some muggle builders site to buy the concrete for the walls seeing as it's more resilient."

"I think it's so nice to have the whole family under one roof." Mrs. Weasley said with a sigh. "Do you think Sirius will ever get married Arthur?"

Arthur chuckled.

"We should set him up." Ginny said with a glint in her eyes.

"I doubt there are many single witches out there his age." Mrs. Weasley sighed.

The days passed in much the same way. Luna came to visit most days where they went on walks in the quiet country. In the evenings the girls would retreat to Ginny's bedroom. Most meal times Gienah helped Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen. Gienah began to call her Molly to her insistence and learnt a lot about the witch in her earlier years.

They returned by floo on a Saturday afternoon and found the living room unchanged but when they walked into the dining room it was double the space and the kitchen had new fittings. Lupin was cooking away happily in the kitchen with his wife sitting on the new island that had replaced the breakfast table reading a maternity magazine.

"Hello." Lupin said with a smile as Gienah ran to hug him. He'd finally regained the weight he'd lost and had never looked so healthy.

"We have two ovens!" Lupin walked around the kitchen and showed her the new gadgets. The decor remained the same. The wooden floors and cabinets. The doors painted a cool mint green. The island had four high chairs around it and a large fruit bowl in the centre.

"Go and have a look upstairs." Lupin said. "I'm almost done with dinner."

They both ran to the entrance hall and up the spiral stairs. The first landing opened directly onto the library which had windows in every direction. There were more wooden tables and leather armchairs. But there was also an area in the corner with children books Gienah had read in her childhood and more. By the window was a smaller table and two bean bags and four small chairs. Gienah felt her heart melt.

"Lyra is never going to leave the cottage when she sees this" Gienah said.

"What about Hermione?" Harry chuckled, looking at the extent of the literature in the library. "I think Sirius brought over the books from the Black library."

Gienah looked at the darker volumes by the travelling ladder and widened her eyes in excitement.

They went up the stairs and found a corridor much like the old library corridor. Narrow and tall with paintings and lanterns by the wooden walls. They entered the room in the far left and saw it was a spacious guest room with two windows facing the woods and the mountains. It was decorated in green and gold with two beds on either side.

The bedroom led into a small en-suite with a shower room and toilet, then there was adjoining door to the next room. This was obviously the nursery. The room was a magical blue with wooden floors and a large moroccan rug. The room was otherwise bare. The windows without curtains and the room without furniture. They left the bedroom and entered Lupins bedroom which was much the same but with a larger bed and a second wardrobe.

Upstairs everything was exactly as it was before. They ran back down and sat down in the spacious dining room which could now fit a table to seat twenty.

"Spinach and ricotta tortellini" Lupin said with a bad italian accent.

"Mmm." Harry said, tucking in.

"Are you looking to shop for the nursery?" Gienah asked Bellatrix politely.

Bellatrix looked surprised but nodded.

"I'd be glad to help" Gienah said, looking a little awkward.

"I would love your assistance Gienah." Bellatrix said softly.

Lupin grinned.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked.

"At Grimmauld Place." Lupin said. "He wants to bring over some of the paintings for the dining room but Kreacher refuses to tell him how to get them off the wall."

"Kreacher?" Gienah asked.

"Your house elf." Lupin said with a frown. "He's not in the best frame of mind. I suggested we bring him here, he might be less lonely and what with everyone working full-time and a baby on the way.."

"I told you Remus" Bellatrix said. "We should open a crèche at the school or hire a nanny."

"It's too much too soon." Lupin said. "And I know you aren't satisfied working at the school so I'm be a staff member short."

"I can see how an ex-death eater might find teaching a tad tedious" Gienah joked. "Too soon?"

Harry shook his head. To everyone's surprise Bellatrix laughed.

"You daughter understands me" Bellatrix drawled.

"Have you moved in Ms. Black?" Harry asked politely.

"Please Harry, call me Bella" Bellatrix gazed at him. "Yes, Lyra was difficult to say bye to. But we are going shopping together tomorrow for the baby. If you two would like to join?"

"I was thinking about redecorating my room actually" Harry said.

"Wonderful" Bellatrix smiled. "Narcissa is also joining us. She wants us to dine with her in the evening. Just the girls but you two are welcome to join us."

"Urm.." Harry blushed.

"Draco and Lucius will be home." Bellatrix waved her hand imperiously.

Gienah chuckled, knowing this didn't make the offer any more attractive.

The next day they left straight after breakfast to meet Narcissa and Andromeda in the Leaky Cauldron. Ara was at home with the nanny but Lyra was swinging Andromeda's hand jumping excitedly looking adorable in her white sundress and straw hat. On her ears she wore her emerald earrings which she refused to take off.

They walked into a furniture shop in Diagon Alley to pick out a few furniture pieces for the nursery. Gienah and Narcissa agreed on white furniture pieces with ornate carved edges. Narcissa selected a rocking crib which she paid for herself. They went into a muggle designer store Narcissa had recommended to select curtains and bedding for the nursery and Harry's bedroom. Gienah brought a few cushion covers. They then went into baby boutique to buy a baby moses basket, bathtub and a pram. They brought a few baby suits, blankets, dummies and teething toys.

Narcissa was a force of nature. She entered the boutiques like royalty, had the shop assistants eating out of the palm of her hand and whirled around adding items to the ongoing tabs. Harry and Gienah fell back holding the bags. Even with a feather charm it was exhausting. As they left the last shop even Narcissa was losing momentum and she ordered them a taxi to get back to the Leaky Cauldron.

"My sister-in-law has just moved into the manor, and I can't tell you how refreshing it is to have another woman to talk to who isn't the nanny." Narcissa said to no one in particular as they were stuck in traffic. "A beauxbaton graduate. Lucius's father died a year ago but now she's finished her education we couldn't leave her in that big old house alone. A young lady of her station. Merlin no. She's applying to St. Mungo's healing programme for next year. Absolutely beautiful and the most tragic story! She was Abraxas's ward. Lucius's grandfather had an illegitimate son who had a daughter in India. They died from some god awful disease and she came to France just three years old! Of course Lucius and I were engaged by then but mother had always wanted a daughter and took her in at once."

"You mean to say Alyssandra Malfoy has come to England?" Bellatrix asked in surprise. "I remember meeting her as a child."

"Ah I forgot. That time you came over for Christmas in France." Narcissa smiled fondly. "You all should come and see the Malfoy estate in France, of course it is the true Malfoy Manor, though our home is heavily modelled in its likeness. Less English, less gothic. Gienah, I'm sure you'll adore her. It is hard to dislike her. They say her mother was a native but she has blue eyes and blonde hair; trademark Malfoy attributes. She speaks Hindi, French and English. An accomplished woman if I've ever seen one."

She continued to speak as they got out of the taxi and only stopped when they flooed to her home.

A house-elf was waiting for them in the travel room, curtseying as each guest arrived. The house elf wore a white tunic with the Malfoy crest emblazoned in the corner. She took their coats and their bags.

"Ah Ivy, where is Rosaline?" Narcissa said to the elf. She spoke as she spoke to the shop assistants. With authority but not unkindly.

"Baby is sleeping mistress." The elf said in a high pitched voice. "Miss. Rosaline and Miss. Alyssandra in the parlor"

Narcissa led the way out of the travel room and through a large entrance hall and through one of the several doors leaving the hall. They entered a large room that somehow managed to retain its intimacy with a large fireplace that took up half the wall, large paintings on the baroque wallpaper and several sofas and armchairs and one grand piano.

A woman was seated by a round table, laughing in such a charming way Gienah almost sighed. She wore a white emperor line regency dress with bared shoulders and lace gloves. Her light blonde hair was pulled back in an intricate knot.

The woman sitting opposite her had dark eyes and dark hair wearing a more modest dress in grey. As plain as she was, she was also quite pretty Gienah suddenly felt inadequate in her short denim playsuit and trainers.

The nanny saw the company first and rose to her feet. Alyssandra turned her head and smiled at Narcissa.

"Narcissa dear, you've simply been gone an age!" Alyssandra stood up and went to kiss her sister on her cheeks. There was a slight accent but perhaps Gienah heard it because she expected to hear it.

"And these two must be your lovely sisters." Alyssandra gave her hand to Andromeda and then Bellatrix. "Enchanté".

"Alyssandra meet my two dearest sisters Bellatrix and Andromeda. Andromeda's daughter Lyra." Narcissa said. "And Bella's step-children and my cousin, Gienah Black and Harry Potter."

"Black" Alyssandra murmured. "I was told the line ended with Draco?"

"Gienah wasn't born in wedlock." Narcissa said, waving a hand. "It is neither here nor there."

Alyssandra laughed deeply and looked at Gienah closely.

"My father was a.. a.. what do the Eenglish say… bâtard. Illegitimate!" Alyssandra said, placing a hand on Gienah's cheek. "Married an Indian, or so they tell me he fell in love with his servant. I say there is no shame in it. Bah, it is romantic, no?"

Gienah didn't know what to say to such an elegant creature so she nodded slightly.

"Yes, you have the Black blood in your veins" Alyssandra nodded. "And you are Harry Potter?"

Alyssandra moved his fringe back delicately to reveal his scar.

"Yes, even in France your name is something of a legend." Alyssandra murmured. "You are siblings, no?"

"Yes maam" Harry blushed.

"I am sorry for your loss. I know it well." Alyssandra said sadly.

"Enough Alyssandra, these are matters to discuss after food and wine." Narcissa said, offering Gienah her arm before they walked through the hall and into the dining room. Draco and Lucius were waiting for them, kissing their hands and bowing before entering.

The dining room was also rich and ornate. The walls were deep green and the carpet richly decorated in greens and reds. One side of the wall had a large painting of a nude woman surrounded by cupids. Gienah felt like she was in an art gallery. Lyra too looked on with awe as she held onto Gienah's fingers with her chubby hands.

Narcissa sat at the head of the table, Lucius to her right and Andromeda to her left. Draco sat near Alyssandra and for the first time in Gienah's life she saw him look a little flustered. Lucius also spoke to her with such gentleness she did not think him capable of.

"I must meet your fiance Bella" Alyssandra said. "Narcissa says he is a handsome man. And a teacher no less. A fine vocation teaching. When is the wedding?"

"The end of August." Bellatrix said.

"How wonderful" Alyssandra said, clapping her hands. "You must get married in the Black manor. Narcissa told me wonderful stories from her childhood and I know her to have done it justice."

"The Black manor?" Gienah asked with a look of confusion. "You don't mean Grimmauld Place?"

"What has Sirius been telling you?" Narcissa sighed and looked at Lucius with a frown. "The girl knows nothing of our history."

"Pease do not insult my father in front of me Narcissa." Gienah said hotly.

"I did not mean offence Gienah, but it is unfortunate you know so little of your heritage." Narcissa said gently.

"Then she will learn it!" Alyssandra said. "Narcissa forgets not all nobility are quite so noble as the Malfoys."

"Well, your father owns various properties as the Black heir. The Black manor is grander than even the Malfoy home in France. No one knows where in England the manor lies but that it is surrounded by woodland and isolated from the world. The manor is built like a palace, the grounds lie in the centre as well as at its perimeter. The home can only be occupied by the Lord and Lady Black which is perhaps why Sirius does not speak of it." Narcissa sighed wistfully. "I don't think the man will ever marry. Gienah, you will have to take the responsibility of reinstating the House of Black."

"This all sounds… rather antiquated." Gienah said hesitantly.

"You get a palace." Malfoy snorted.

"Honestly" Narcissa glared at her son.

"Your father remains a bachelor?" Alyssandra asked.

"Yes." Gienah chuckled. "I wish he would find someone. Remus is so much happier with Bella, though I did not approve at first, to see how he looks at her.. He's not so lonely anymore."

As they continued to speak of marriage and love and courtship Narcissa became quiet, looking between Alyssandra and Gienah, sipping her wine and wearing a small smile. Only her husband knew what this meant and he was more than a little weary.

"Who wears a tailcoat to a picnic?" Sirius scowled, looking at the mirror. The outfit had come with the owl that morning from Narcissa requesting he wear it to the picnic.

"Please don't complain." Gienah said uncomfortably, she herself was wearing a long white dress with lace arms and a bodice. Her head just didn't match the garment. She attempted curling her hair with a wand and pulling her hair up into a bun but it just collapsed around her face so she now resembled a poodle.

Lupin was wearing a smart floral silk waistcoat and black hunting boots. Bellatrix had recently cut his hair so it reached past his ear and he was able to push his hair back with a comb.

"Where's the top hat?" Lupin asked when he saw Sirius, smirking.

"You look fine" Gienah scolded at Lupin.

They flooed to the manor and was led out to the grounds by Draco who was also looking quite dressed up. Gienah fiddled with her hair, now feeling sympathetic towards Hermione's unruly curls.

"Do you have these functions often?" Gienah said, struggling for the right word, as they walked down a path through some trees.

"In the summer mostly." Malfoy said. "There are a few families that mother still considers High Society so she's been over excited by the fresh blood."

"I suppose it has it's charm" Gienah shrugged.

"I suppose I should tell you that you are becoming quite the woman." Malfoy said with his eyes on her.

Gienah blushed.

"Quite the woman", she laughed softly.

"I should warn you, mother has her eye on you." Malfoy said with a smirk. "She wants a new doll and Ara's too young to play cupid with."

"What about Alyssandra?" Gienah pointed out.

"Alyssandra's the finished product." Malfoy dismissed. "You are a work-in-progress. There is nothing she likes more than a pet project."

"Oh dear." Gienah said.

"Indeed." Malfoy chuckled.

"So whose she matched you up with then?" Gienah elbowed him with a wink.

Malfoy scowled.

"Not Parkinson?"

"Why do people always think Pansy and I are an item?" Malfoy said irritably. "We've been friends since infants. Our mothers had tea and we would yawn and get up to some healthy mischief. That is all."

"Tell me!" Gienah said smiling.

"Astoria Greengrass" Draco said finally. "I have nothing in common with her."

"You're young" Gienah grinned.

"I hope she matches you with someone ghastly. A Slughorn or a Crabbe."

"Astoria is not ghastly." Gienah pointed out. "Besides I'm with Diggory."

"You're not going to marry him." Draco said confidently. "He's too.. pristine."

"Well who am I going to marry?"

"Probably me." Draco said as if he was commenting on the weather.

"I beg your pardon?" Gienah spluttured. "But what about Astoria?"

"Astoria was before you came along." Draco explained calmly. "But now you're here and mother would rather a stronger alliance with the Black family. Particularly if your father has no more children. Our children would be heir of Malfoy and Black."

Gienah laughed.

"Except I won't marry you." Gienah said.

"No one will force you. But mother is rather talented in getting what she wants. I say it is probably." Draco reasoned.

"I wouldn't lose any sleep over it." Gienah snorted.

"I would rather marry you than Astoria." Draco said, stopping as they reached the location. He picked a flower from the path and placed it behind her ear. "You aren't a simpering pureblooded witch. You are destined for greatness. Why would I want a trophy wife when I can have a queen? I am a Slytherin after all."

Draco left her with her mouth wide open to join the party.

Gienah joined the picnic a few seconds later and saw Sirius kissing Alyssandra's hand. Alyssandra's lips parted as she watched him linger a few more seconds than appropriate.

Gienah looked at Draco who smiled knowingly and sipped his tea.

Gienah looked at Sirius and Alyssandra again. Sirius was whispering in her ear, she was blushing. Her hand was on his knee as she laughed, throwing her head back. Lyra was eating a sandwich on her lap and Gienah couldn't help think how easily they could be a family.

"Do you see the way Sirius is acting around Alyssandra?" Gienah whispered to Harry who was playing with baby Ara. He looked up.

"Like he acts with any other single witch" Harry said. "Actually, how he acts with any other witch."

Gienah decided it wouldn't do to spy and went to select a plate from the wonderful spread before them and watched Harry make baby faces at Ara.

In the beginning of August the soirees Narcissa bombarded them with came to a brief interval as the Quidditch World Cup had arrived. In Diagon Alley there was nothing else on the posters. All wizarding folk of nothing else.

A week beforehand the entire Weasley family came for Harry's birthday dinner. He hadn't wanted a party or a fancy outing so they settled for a large dinner with the Weasley's and Hermione. They just about managed to fit everyone round the extended table as Lupin ran around frantically in the kitchen seeing to his various dishes. Bill and Charlie had both come as well. During the dinner the conversations were loud, friendly and varied.

At the far end of the table, Percy was telling his father all about his report on cauldron bottoms.

"I've told Mr. Crouch that I'll have it ready by Tuesday," Percy was saying pompously. "That's a bit sooner than he expected it, but I like to keep on top of things. I think he'll be grateful I've done it in good time, I mean, its extremely busy in our department just now, what with all the arrangements for the World Cup. We're just not getting the support we need from the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ludo Bagman -"

"I like Ludo," said Mr. Weasley mildly. "He was the one who got us such good tickets for the Cup. I did him a bit of a favor: His brother, Otto, got into a spot of trouble - a lawnmower with unnatural powers - I smoothed the whole thing over."

"Oh Bagman's likable enough, of course," said Percy dismissively, "but how he ever got to be Head of Department...when I compare him to Mr. Crouch! I can't see Mr. Crouch losing a member of our department and not trying to find out what's happened to them. You realize Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over a month now? Went on holiday to Albania and never came back?"

"Yes, I was asking Ludo about that," said Mr. Weasley, frowning. "He says Bertha's gotten lost plenty of times before now - though must say, if it was someone in my department, I'd be worried..."

"Oh Bertha's hopeless, all right," said Percy. "I hear she's been shunted from department to department for years, much more trouble than she's worth...but all the same, Bagman ought to be trying to find her. Mr. Crouch has been taking a personal interest, she worked in our department at one time, you know, and I think Mr. Crouch was quite fond of her - but Bagman just keeps laughing and saying she probably misread the map and ended up in Australia instead of Albania. However" - Percy heaved an impressive sigh and took a deep swig of elderflower wine - "we've got quite enough on our plates at the Department of International Magical Cooperation without trying to find members of other departments too. As you know, we've got another big event to organize right after the World Cup."

Percy cleared his throat significantly and looked down toward the end of the table where Gienah, Harry, and Ron were sitting. "You know the one I'm talking about, Father." He raised his voice slightly. "The top-secret one."

Ron rolled his eyes and muttered to Gienah, "He's been trying to get us to ask what that event is ever since he started work. Probably an exhibition of thick-bottomed cauldrons."

In the middle of the table, Mrs. Weasley was arguing with Bill about his earring, which seemed to be a recent acquisition.

"...with a horrible great fang on it. Really, Bill, what do they say at the bank?"

"Mum, no one at the bank gives a damn how I dress as long as I bring home plenty of treasure," said Bill patiently.

"And your hair's getting silly, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, fingering her wand lovingly." I wish you'd let me give it a trim..."

"I like it," said Ginny, who was sitting beside Bill. "You're so old-fashioned, Mum. Anyway, it's nowhere near as long as Professor Dumbledore's..."

Sirius and _Cedrella_ were having an argument concerning Wizengamot. Hermione listened with interest two of the dominant views clashing on the leading debate of their time.

"The Wizarding Twenty-Eight is a thing of the past, _Ella_ , it's a disgrace that muggle government has a more representative government than ours!"

"There are more muggles than wizards Sirius" Bellatrix retorted. "The same system will not work for wizarding folk with more than double their life spans and less than one percent of their population!"

"This may be true dear" Lupin conceded. "But the fact remains…"

Next to Lupin, Fred, George, and Charlie were all talking spiritedly about the World Cup.

"It's got to be Ireland," said Charlie thickly, through a mouthful of potato. "They flattened Peru in the semifinals."

"Bulgaria has got Viktor Krum, though," said Fred.

"Krum's one decent player, Ireland has got seven," said Charlie shortly. "I wish England had got through. That was embarrassing, that was."

"Went down to Transylvania, three hundred and ninety to ten," said Harry gloomily. "Shocking performance. And Wales lost to Uganda, and Scotland was slaughtered by Luxembourg."

Dessert finally arrived. It was a five tiered layered chocolate cake decorated with strawberries with icing all around it saying Happy Birthday Harry. After two or three slices of cake Gienah sat back in her seat and watched her stomach lazily. Lyra was sitting near her one second and the next she heard a strange gurgling under the table. Gienah looked underneath the table and saw Lyra on all fours with a huge tongue sprouting out of her mouth.

"Dad!" Gienah shouted, unable to do anything without her wand. She gestured for Lyra to come out but Lyra was frozen as she stared at the pink thing swell and grow double, triple, quadruple in size.

"Sh-sugar" She heard Fred say as more heads popped down beneath the table. Sirius pointed his wand at the tongue and slowly it began to retreat. Lyra was sobbing by the time everything had turned to normal. GIenah grabbed the girl out from the table and sat her on her lap, circling her back.

"Fred and George Weasley!" Mrs Weasley's voice thundered down the table.

They had disappeared.

Mrs. Weasley was fuming.

Gienah left the dining room with Lyra in her arms, rocking her as she sobbed.

"What did Fred and George do?" Gienah whispered as Ron, Ginny and Hermione had come out with her to avoid the inevitable volcano eruption.

"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes" said Ron with a sympathetic look at the still chaking child.

"What?"

"Mum found this stack of order forms when she was cleaning Fred and George's room," said Ron quietly. "Great long price lists for stuff they've invented. Joke stuff, you know. Fake wands and trick sweets, loads of stuff. It was brilliant, I never knew they'd been inventing all that..."

"We've been hearing explosions out of their room for ages, but we never thought they were actually making things," said Ginny. "We thought they just liked the noise."

"Only, most of the stuff - well, all of it, really - was a bit dangerous," said Ron, "and, you know, they were planning to sell it at Hogwarts to make some money, and Mum went mad at them. Told them they weren't allowed to make any more of it, and burned all the order forms...She's furious at them anyway. They didn't get as many O.W.L.s as she expected."

"And then there was this big row," Ginny said, "because Mum wants them to go into the Ministry of Magic like Dad, and they told her all they want to do is open a joke shop."

"The sweet must have fallen out of their pocket and Lyra found it thinking it was an ordinary sweet."

Lyra growled.

Gienah laughed.

"Ooh Fred and George are getting a second talking to!" Ginny said, taking Lyra from Gienah. "Oh my! Aren't you a big girl!"

Lyra began to cheer up as she was allowed to play with Ginny's long red hair.

Everyone began spilling out of the dining room.

"Look at the time," Mrs. Weasley said suddenly, checking her wristwatch. "We should be off. Happy Birthday dear. I hope you liked our present. George, Fred, I have the right mind to ground you for the rest of the summer."

Fred and George gave her puppydog eyes and she softened.

"I'll ground you after the cup instead."

They groaned.

"I'll get all your things tomorrow in Diagon Alley. There might not be time after the World Cup, the match went on for five days last time."

"Wow - hope it does this time!" said Harry enthusiastically.

"Well, I certainly don't," said Percy sanctimoniously. "I shudder to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days."

"Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?" said Fred.

"That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!" said Percy, going very red in the face. "It was nothing personal!"

"It was," Fred whispered to Harry as they got up from the table. "We sent it."

Mr and Mrs Weasley left after saying goodbye to Cedrella and Sirius, followed by Percy. Charlie and Bill were apparating later. The adults and Lyra went outside for a drink while Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Gienah stayed in the living room.

"Gienah, Ginny tells me about your night with firewhiskey and strip poker." Fred wiggles his eyebrows.

And that is how they ended up flying on broomsticks one in the morning in varying shades of undress.

A.N. Yes, yes, I know... I need to rehaul this fanfic so bad. Just one more year to cover and the edit will take place! Two weeks?


	31. The Quidditch World Cup

Chapter Thirty-Five: **The Quidditch World Cup**

Gienah heard a knock on the door.

"Today is the day!" Sirius yelled making loud noises that sounded like a wooden spoon on a metal pan. "The Quidditch World Cup final is finally here!"

Gienah hugged her lumpy pillow tighter and heard it rasp.

"Gi-en-ah" Came a girls voice.

"Ginny?" Gienah blinked, adjusting to the sunlight. Gienah let the pillow/girl go and saw there was a playing of red hair on the bed beside her.

"Why aren't you downstairs?" Gienah said with a yawn.

"Hermione hogs the covers." Ginny grumbled.

"We best get up."

"What time is it?"

Gienah felt for her watch.

"Five somethin'"

Ginny groaned. The door opened.

"Rise and shine!" It was Hermione.

"Why are you so awake?" Ginny said with disgust.

"I told you two to get an early night." Hermione said smugly, pulling the covers away from their bodies.

"No one sleeps before eleven. Not even Lyra." Ginny sulked as she zombie walked out of her bed.

"I've brought you coffee." Hermione said just as the heavenly scent hit Gienah's nose.

Gienah reached her hand out with her eyes half closed and saw Hermione was already dressed and had a newspaper under her arm.

"Mmm." Gienah smiled. "I love you Hermione."

"You and Ron are so similar sometimes." Hermione snorted.

Gienah finished her coffee and went in for a shower after Ginny. They were dressed in twenty minutes. They dressed in silence, too sleepy to talk, then, yawning and stretching, the three of them headed downstairs into the kitchen where Sirius was sat down with his coffee with Harry and Ron.

"Morning girls" Sirius grinned.

"Why do we have to be up so early?" Ginny said, rubbing her eyes and sitting down at the table.

"We've got a bit of a walk," said Sirius.

"Walk?" said Harry. "What, are we walking to the World Cup?"

"No, no, that's miles away," said Sirius with a bark of laughter. "We only need to walk a short way. It's just that it's a bit chaotic for a large number of wizards to congregate without attracting Muggle attention. We have to be very careful about how we travel at the best of times, and on a huge occasion like the Quidditch World Cup..."

Fred and George came down a few minutes later, unusually quiet and they set out with their rucksacks five in the morning. It was chilly and the moon was still out. Only a dull, greenish tinge along the horizon to their right showed that daybreak was drawing closer. Harry, having been thinking about thousands of wizards speeding toward the Quidditch World Cup, sped up to walk with Sirius.

"So how does everyone get there without all the Muggles noticing?" he asked.

"It's been a massive organizational problem according to Arthur," said Sirius. "The trouble is, about a hundred thousand wizards turn up at the World Cup, and of course, we just haven't got a magical site big enough to accommodate them all. There are places Muggles can't penetrate, but imagine trying to pack a hundred thousand wizards into Diagon Alley or platform nine and three-quarters. So we had to find a nice deserted moor, and set up as many anti-Muggle precautions as possible. The whole Ministry's been working on it for months. First, of course, they have to stagger the arrivals. People with cheaper tickets have to arrive two weeks beforehand. A limited number use Muggle transport, but we can't have too many clogging up their buses and trains - remember, wizards are coming from all over the world. Some Apparate, of course, but they've had to set up safe points for them to appear, well away from Muggles. I believe there's a handy wood they're using as the Apparition point. For those who don't want to Apparate, or can't, we use Portkeys. They're objects that are used to transport wizards from one spot to another at a prearranged time. You can do large groups at a time if you need to. There have been two hundred Portkeys placed at strategic points around Britain, and the nearest one to us is up at the other end of the woods, so that's where we're headed."

"What sort of objects are Portkeys?" said Harry curiously.

"Well, they can be anything," said Sirius. "Unobtrusive things, obviously, so Muggles don't go picking them up and playing with them...stuff they'll just think is litter..."

They trudged down the dark lane through the woods, the silence broken only by their footsteps. The sky lightened very slowly as they made their way through, its inky blackness diluting to deepest blue. Gienah's hands and feet were freezing. Sirius kept checking his watch.

They stopped by a small running stream sloping downhill.

"Now we just need the Portkey," said Sirius.

They spread out, searching.

"Here!" Ginny shouted.

They walked higher up the stream and found an old muggle newspaper.

"Alright, gather round" said Sirius. "Yes, it's a minute off..."

Harry and Hermione looked at him

"You just need to touch the Portkey, that's all, a finger will do -"

With difficulty, owing to their bulky backpacks, the eight of them crowded around the old boot held out by Amos Diggory.

They all stood there, in a tight circle, as a chill breeze swept over the hilltop. Nobody spoke. It suddenly occurred to Gienah how odd this would look if a Muggle were to walk up here now...eight people, one grown men, clutching the newspaper in the semidarkness, waiting...

"Three..." muttered Sirius, one eye still on his watch, two...one..."

It happened immediately: Gienah felt as though a hook just behind her navel had been suddenly jerked irresistibly forward. Her feet left the ground; she could feel Ginny and Hermione on either side of her, their shoulders banging into hers; they were all speeding forward in a howl of wind and swirling color; her forefinger was stuck to the boot as though it was pulling her magnetically onward and then -

Her feet slammed into the ground; Ron staggered into her and she fell over; the Portkey hit the ground near her head with a thud.

"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill," said a voice.

Gienah disentangled himself from Ron and got to her feet. They had arrived on what appeared to be a deserted stretch of misty moor. In front of them was a pair of tired and grumpy-looking wizards, one of whom was holding a large gold watch, the other a thick roll of parchment and a quill. Both were dressed as Muggles, though very inexpertly: The man with the watch wore a tweed suit with thigh-length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho.

"Morning," said Sirius, picking up the newspaper and handing it to the kilted wizard, who threw it into a large box of used Portkeys beside him; Gienah could see an old boot, an empty drinks can, and a punctured football.

"Lord Black," said the wizard with a small bow. "Hang on, I'll find your campsite...Black..." He consulted his parchment list. "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr. Roberts."

"Cheers," said Sirius, and he beckoned everyone to follow him.

They set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist. After about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. Beyond it, Gienah could just make out the ghostly shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents, rising up the gentle slope of a large field toward a dark wood on the horizon. They approached the cottage door.

A man was standing in the doorway, looking out at the tents. Gienah knew at a glance that this was the only real Muggle for several acres. When he heard their footsteps, he turned his head to look at them.

"Morning!" said Sirius brightly.

"Morning," said the Muggle.

"Would you be Mr. Roberts?"

"Aye, I would," said Mr. Roberts. "And who're you?"

"Black - two tents, booked a couple of days ago?"

"Aye," said Mr. Roberts, consulting a list tacked to the door. "You've got a space up by the wood there. Just the one night?"

"That's it," said Mr. Weasley.

"You'll be paying now, then?" said Mr. Roberts.

Sirius handed him a shiny gold card.

"Cash only I'm afraid." said Mr. Roberts, pointing at a sign.

"Ah - right - certainly -" said Sirius. He retreated a short distance from the cottage and beckoned Harry toward him. "Help me, Harry," he muttered, pulling a roll of Muggle money from his pocket and starting to peel the notes apart. "This one's a - a - a ten? Ah yes, I see the little number on it now...So this is a five?"

"A twenty," Harry corrected him in an undertone, uncomfortably aware of Mr. Roberts trying to catch every word.

"Ah yes, so it is...I don't know, these little bits of paper..."

"You're not the first one who's had trouble with money," said Mr. Roberts, scrutinizing Sirius closely. "I had two try and pay me with great gold coins the size of hubcaps ten minutes ago."

"Did you really?" said Sirius grinning with a shake of his head.

"Why they don't make muggle studies compulsory" Sirius muttered to Harry.

Mr. Roberts rummaged around in a tin for some change.

"Never been this crowded," he said suddenly, looking out over the misty field again. "Hundreds of pre-bookings. People usually just turn up..."

"Is that right?" said Sirius, his hand held out for his change, but Mr. Roberts didn't give it to him.

"Aye," he said thoughtfully. "People from all over. Loads of foreigners. And not just foreigners. Weirdos, you know? There's a bloke walking 'round in a kilt and a poncho."

"Shouldn't he?" said Sirius while Hermione and Harry shook their heads.

"It's like some sort of...I dunno...like some sort of rally," said Mr. Roberts. "They all seem to know each other. Like a big party."

At that moment, a wizard in plus-fours appeared out of thin air next to Mr. Roberts's front door.

"Obliviate!" he said sharply, pointing his wand at Mr. Roberts.

Instantly, Mr. Roberts's eyes slid out of focus, his brows unknitted, and a took of dreamy unconcern fell over his face. Gienah recognized the symptoms of one who had just had his memory modified.

"A map of the campsite for you," Mr. Roberts said placidly to Sirius. "And your change."

"Keep it," said Sirius.

The wizard in plus-fours accompanied them toward the gate to the campsite. He looked exhausted: His chin was blue with stubble and there were deep purple shadows under his eyes. Once out of earshot of Mr. Roberts, he muttered, "Been having a lot of trouble with him. Needs a Memory Charm ten times a day to keep him happy. And Ludo Bagman's not helping. Trotting around talking about Bludgers and Quaffles at the top of his voice, not a worry about anti-Muggle security Blimey, I'll be glad when this is over. See you later."

He Disapparated.

"I thought Mr. Bagman was Head of Magical Games and Sports," said Ginny, looking surprised. "He should know better than to talk about Bludgers near Muggles, shouldn't he?"

"He should," said Sirius, smiling, and leading them through the gates into the campsite, "but Ludo's always been a bit of an idiot. He played Quidditch for England himself, you know. And he was the best Beater the Wimbourne Wasps ever had."

They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Muggle-like as possible, but had slipped up by adding chimneys, or bellpulls, or weather vanes. However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that Harry could hardly be surprised that Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious. Halfway up the field stood an extravagant confection of striped silk like a miniature palace, with several live peacocks tethered at the entrance. A little farther on they passed a tent that had three floors and several turrets; and a short way beyond that was a tent that had a front garden attached, complete with birdbath, sundial, and fountain.

"Always the same," said Sirius with a smirk. "We can't resist showing off when we get together. Ah, here we are, look, this is us."

They had reached the very edge of the wood at the top of the field, and here was an empty space, with a small sign hammered into the ground that read BLACK.

"Couldn't have a better spot!" said Sirius happily. "The field is just on the other side of the wood there, we're as close as we could be." He hoisted his backpack from his shoulders.

Sirius brought out two bundles of material and placed it three metres away from each other before looking around and waving his wand. They finally managed to erect a pair of shabby two-man tents.

All of them stood back to admire their handiwork. Nobody looking at these tents would guess they belonged to wizards, Gienah thought, but the trouble was that once Arthur, Bill, Charlie, and Percy arrived, they would be a party of twelve. Hermione seemed to have spotted this problem too; she gave Gienah a quizzical look as Sirius dropped to his hands and knees and entered the first tent.

"We'll be a bit cramped," he called, "but I think we'll all squeeze in. Come and have a look."

Gienah bent down and ducked under the tent flap. She had walked into what looked like an old-fashioned, three room flat, complete with bathroom and kitchen. Oddly enough, it was furnished in exactly the same sort of style as Mrs. Figg's house: There were crocheted covers on the mismatched chairs and a strong smell of cats.

"Well, it's not for long," said Sirius peering in at the four bunk beds that stood in the bedroom. Arthur borrowed this from Perkins at the office. Doesn't camp much anymore, poor fellow, he's got lumbago."

He picked up the dusty kettle and peered inside it. "We'll need water..."

"There's a tap marked on this map the Muggle gave us," said Ron, who had followed Gienah inside the tent and seemed completely unimpressed by its extraordinary inner proportions. "It's on the other side of the field."

"Well, why don't you, Gienah, and Hermione go and get us some water then -" Sirius handed over the kettle and a couple of saucepans

After a quick tour of the girls' tent, which was slightly smaller than the boys', though without the smell of cats, Gienah, Ron, and Hermione set off across the campsite with the kettle and saucepans.

Now, with the sun newly risen and the mist lifting, they could see the city of tents that stretched in every direction. They made their way slowly through the rows, staring eagerly around.

Their fellow campers were starting to wake up. First to stir were the families with small children. A tiny boy no older than two was crouched outside a large pyramid-shaped tent, holding a wand and poking happily at a slug in the grass, which was swelling slowly to the size of a salami. As they drew level with him, his mother came hurrying out of the tent.

"How many times, Kevin? You don't - touch - Daddy's - wand - yecchh!"

She had trodden on the giant slug, which burst. Her scolding carried after them on the still air, mingling with the little boy's yells "You bust slug! You bust slug!"

A short way farther on, they saw two little witches, barely older than Kevin, who were riding toy broomsticks that rose only high enough for the girls' toes to skim the dewy grass. A Ministry wizard had already spotted them; as he hurried past Gienah, Ron, and Hermione he muttered distractedly, "In broad daylight! Parents having a lie-in, I suppose -"

Here and there adult wizards and witches were emerging from their tents and starting to cook breakfast. Some, with furtive looks around them, conjured fires with their wands; others were striking matches with dubious looks on their faces, as though sure this couldn't work. Three African wizards sat in serious conversation, all of them wearing long white robes and roasting what looked like a rabbit on a bright purple fire, while a group of middle-aged American witches sat gossiping happily beneath a spangled banner stretched between their tents that read: THE SALEM WITCHES' INSTITUTE. Gienah caught snatches of conversation in strange languages from the inside of tents they passed, and though she couldn't understand a word, the tone of every single voice was excited.

"Er - is it my eyes, or has everything gone green?" said Ron.

It wasn't just Ron's eyes. They had walked into a patch of tents that were all covered with a thick growth of shamrocks, so that it looked as though small, oddly shaped hillocks had sprouted out of the earth. Grinning faces could be seen under those that had their flaps open. Then, from behind them, they heard their names.

"Gen! Ron! Hermione!"

It was Seamus Finnigan, their fellow Gryffindor fourth year. He was sitting in front of his own shamrock-covered tent, with a sandy-haired woman who had to be his mother, and his best friend, Dean Thomas, also of Gryffindor.

"Like the decorations?" said Seamus, grinning. "The Ministry's not too happy."

"Ah, why shouldn't we show our colors?" said Mrs. Finnigan. "You should see what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents. You'll be supporting Ireland, of course?" she added, eyeing Gienah, Ron, and Hermione beadily. When they had assured her that they were indeed supporting Ireland, they set off again, though, as Ron said, "Like we'd say anything else surrounded by that lot."

"I wonder what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents?" said Hermione.

"Let's go and have a look," said Gienah, pointing to a large patch of tents upfield, where the Bulgarian flag - white, green, and red - was fluttering in the breeze.

The tents here had not been bedecked with plant life, but each and every one of them had the same poster attached to it, a poster of a very surly face with heavy black eyebrows. The picture was, of course, moving, but all it did was blink and scowl.

"Krum," said Ron quietly.

"What?" said Hermione.

"Krum!" said Ron. "Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker!"

"He looks really grumpy," said Hermione, looking around at the many Krum's blinking and scowling at them.

"'Really grumpy?" Ron raised his eyes to the heavens. "Who cares what he looks like? He's unbelievable. He's really young too. Only just eighteen or something. He's a genius, you wait until tonight, you'll see."

There was already a small queue for the tap in the corner of the field. Gienah, Ron, and Hermione joined it, right behind a pair of men who were having a heated argument. One of them was a very old wizard who was wearing a long flowery nightgown. The other was clearly a Ministry wizard; he was holding out a pair of pinstriped trousers and almost crying with exasperation.

"Just put them on, Archie, there's a good chap. You can't walk around like that, the Muggle at the gate's already getting suspicious -"

"I bought this in a Muggle shop," said the old wizard stubbornly. "Muggles wear them."

"Muggle women wear them, Archie, not the men, they wear these," said the Ministry wizard, and he brandished the pinstriped trousers.

"I'm not putting them on," said old Archie in indignation. "I like a healthy breeze 'round my privates, thanks."

Hermione was overcome with such a strong fit of the giggles at this point that she had to duck out of the queue and only returned when Archie had collected his water and moved away.

Walking more slowly now, because of the weight of the water, they made their way back through the campsite. Here and there, they saw more familiar faces: other Hogwarts students with their families. Oliver Wood, the old captain of Gienah's House Quidditch team, who had just left Hogwarts, dragged Gienah over to her parents' tent to introduce her, and told her excitedly that he had just been signed to the Puddlemere United reserve team. Next they were hailed by Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff fourth year, and a little farther on they saw Cho Chang.

"You've been ages," said George when they finally got back to the Weasleys' tents.

"Met a few people," said Ron, setting the water down.

The fire was lit, though it was at least another hour before it was hot enough to cook anything. There was plenty to watch while they waited, however. Their tent seemed to be pitched right alongside a kind of thoroughfare to the field, and Ministry members kept hurrying up and down it, greeting Sirius cordially as they passed.

At last, the fire was ready, and they had just started cooking eggs and sausages when Arthur,Bill, Charlie, and Percy came strolling out of the woods toward them.

"Just Apparated," said Percy loudly. "Ah, excellent, lunch!"

"Am I glad to be off-duty tonight." Arthur said to Sirius, looking at the mayhem around them.

They were halfway through their plates of eggs and sausages when Mr. Weasley jumped to his feet, waving and grinning at a man who was striding toward them. "Aha!" he said. "The man of the moment! Ludo!"

Ludo Bagman was easily the most noticeable person Gienah had seen so far, even including old Archie in his flowered nightdress. He was wearing long Quidditch robes in thick horizontal stripes of bright yellow and black. An enormous picture of a wasp was splashed across his chest. He had the look of a powerfully built man gone slightly to seed; the robes were stretched tightly across a large belly he surely had not had in the days when he had played Quidditch for England. His nose was squashed (probably broken by a stray Bludger, Gienah thought), but his round blue eyes, short blond hair, and rosy complexion made him look like a very overgrown schoolboy.

"Ahoy there!" Bagman called happily. He was walking as though he had springs attached to the balls of his feet and was plainly in a state of wild excitement.

"Arthur, old man," he puffed as he reached the campfire, "what a day, eh? What a day! Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming...and hardly a hiccough in the arrangements...Not much for me to do!"

Behind him, a group of haggard-looking Ministry wizards rushed past, pointing at the distant evidence of some sort of a magical fire that was sending violet sparks twenty feet into the air.

Percy hurried forward with his hand outstretched. Apparently his disapproval of the way Ludo Bagman ran his department did not prevent him from wanting to make a good impression.

"Ah - yes," said Mr. Weasley, grinning, "this is my son Percy. He's just started at the Ministry - and this is Sirius Black, Fred - no, George, sorry - that's Fred - Bill, Charlie, Ron - my daughter, Ginny and Ron's friends, Gienah Black, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."

Bagman bowed when he hears Black's name, did the smallest of double takes when he heard Harry's name, and his eyes performed the familiar flick upward to the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Everyone," Mr. Weasley continued, "this is Ludo Bagman, you know who he is, it's thanks to him we've got such good tickets -"

Bagman beamed and waved his hand as if to say it had been nothing.

"It's been a long time." Sirius said, grinning as he shook his hand.

"I've been meaning to invite you to dinner Sirius" Bagman smiled. "Terrible business with Azkaban."

"Yes" Sirius flashed him a false smile which showed too much teeth. "Old Barty has a lot to say about you these days."

"I trust you're supporting Ireland?" Arthur said quickly, looking at Sirius.

"Fancy a flutter on the match?" he said eagerly, jingling what seemed to be a large amount of gold in the pockets of his yellow-and-black robes. "I've already got Roddy Pontner betting me Bulgaria will score first - I offered him nice odds, considering Ireland's front three are the strongest I've seen in years - and little Agatha Timms has put up half shares in her eel farm on a weeklong match."

"Oh...go on then," said Mr. Weasley. "Let's see...a Galleon on Ireland to win?"

"A Galleon?" Ludo Bagman looked slightly disappointed, but recovered himself. "Very well, very well...any other takers?"

"They're a bit young to be gambling," said Mr. Weasley. "Molly wouldn't like -"

"We'll bet thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, three Knuts," said Fred as he and George quickly pooled all their money, "that Ireland wins - but Viktor Krum gets the Snitch. Oh and we'll throw in a fake wand."

"You don't want to go showing Mr. Bagman rubbish like that," Percy hissed, but Bagman didn't seem to think the wand was rubbish at all; on the contrary, his boyish face shone with excitement as he took it from Fred, and when the wand gave a loud squawk and turned into a rubber chicken, Bagman roared with laughter.

"Excellent! I haven't seen one that convincing in years! I'd pay five Galleons for that!"

Percy froze in an attitude of stunned disapproval.

"Boys," said Mr. Weasley under his breath, "I don't want you betting...That's all your savings...Your mother -"

"Don't be a spoilsport, Arthur!" boomed Ludo Bagman, rattling his pockets excitedly. "They're old enough to know what they want! You reckon Ireland will win but Krum'll get the Snitch? Not a chance, boys, not a chance...I'll give you excellent odds on that one...We'll add five Galleons for the funny wand, then, shall we..."

Mr. Weasley looked on helplessly as Ludo Bagman whipped out a notebook and quill and began jotting down the twins' names.

"Cheers," said George, taking the slip of parchment Bagman handed him and tucking it away into the front of his robes. Bagman turned most cheerfully back to Mr. Weasley.

"Couldn't do me a brew, I suppose? I'm keeping an eye out for Barty Crouch. My Bulgarian opposite number's making difficulties, and I can't understand a word he's saying. Barty'll be able to sort it out. He speaks about a hundred and fifty languages."

"Mr. Crouch?" said Percy, suddenly abandoning his look of poker-stiff disapproval and positively writhing with excitement. "He speaks over two hundred! Mermish and Gobbledegook and Troll..."

"Anyone can speak Troll," said Fred dismissively. "All you have to do is point and grunt."

Percy threw Fred an extremely nasty look and stoked the fire vigorously to bring the kettle back to the boil.

"Any news of Bertha Jorkins yet, Ludo?" Mr. Weasley asked as Bagman settled himself down on the grass beside them all.

"Not a dicky bird," said Bagman comfortably. "But she'll turn up. Poor old Bertha...memory like a leaky cauldron and no sense of direction. Lost, you take my word for it. She'll wander back into the office sometime in October, thinking it's still July."

"Bertha was a clutz" Sirius said coldly. "Not an idiot Ludo."

"You don't think it might be time to send someone to look for her?" Mr. Weasley suggested tentatively as Percy handed Bagman his tea.

"Barty Crouch keeps saying that," said Bagman, his round eyes widening innocently, "but we really can't spare anyone at the moment. Oh - talk of the devil! Barty!"

A wizard had just Apparated at their fireside, and he could not have made more of a contrast with Ludo Bagman, sprawled on the grass in his old Wasp robes. Barty Crouch was a stiff, upright, elderly man, dressed in an impeccably crisp suit and tie. The parting in his short gray hair was almost unnaturally straight, and his narrow toothbrush mustache looked as though he trimmed it using a slide rule. His shoes were very highly polished. It was clear why Percy idolized him. Percy was a great believer in rigidly following rules, and Mr. Crouch had complied with the rule about Muggle dressing so thoroughly that he could have passed for a bank manager; Harry doubted even Uncle Vernon would have spotted him for what he really was.

"Pull up a bit of grass, Barry," said Ludo brightly, patting the ground beside him.

"No thank you, Ludo," said Crouch, and there was a bite of impatience in his voice. "I've been looking for you everywhere. The Bulgarians are insisting we add another twelve seats to the Top Box."

"Oh is that what they're after?" said Bagman. I thought the chap was asking to borrow a pair of tweezers. Bit of a strong accent."

"Mr. Crouch!" said Percy breathlessly, sunk into a kind of half bow that made him look like a hunchback. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Oh," said Mr. Crouch, looking over at Percy in mild surprise. "Yes - thank you, Weatherby."

Fred and George choked into their own cups. Percy, very pink around the ears, busied himself with the kettle.

"Sirius." Crouch nodded.

"Barty" smiled Sirius jovially. "Can't thank you enough for the tickets."

"The least I could do. Your presentation was well received by the Romanian vampires. Never thought Britain would be able to compete with the state's." Crouch said.

"Oh and I've been wanting a word with you too, Arthur," said Mr. Crouch, his sharp eyes falling upon Mr. Weasley. "Ali Bashir's on the warpath. He wants a word with you about your embargo on flying carpets."

Mr. Weasley heaved a deep sigh.

"I sent him an owl about that just last week. If I've told him once I've told him a hundred times: Carpets are defined as a Muggle Artifact by the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects, but will he listen?"

"I doubt it," said Mr. Crouch, accepting a cup from Percy. "He's desperate to export here."

"Well, they'll never replace brooms in Britain, will they?" said Bagman.

"Ali thinks there's a niche in the market for a family vehicle, said Mr. Crouch. "I remember my grandfather had an Axminster that could seat twelve - but that was before carpets were banned, of course."

He spoke as though he wanted to leave nobody in any doubt that all his ancestors had abided strictly by the law.

"So, been keeping busy, Barty?" said Bagman breezily.

"Fairly," said Mr. Crouch dryly. "Organizing Portkeys across five continents is no mean feat, Ludo."

"I expect you'll both be glad when this is over?" said Mr. Weasley.

Ludo Bagman looked shocked.

"Glad! Don't know when I've had more fun...Still, it's not as though we haven't got anything to took forward to, eh, Barty? Eh? Plenty left to organize, eh?"

Mr. Crouch raised his eyebrows at Bagman.

"We agreed not to make the announcement until all the details -"

"Oh details!" said Bagman, waving the word away like a cloud of midges. "They've signed, haven't they? They've agreed, haven't they? I bet you anything these kids'll know soon enough anyway. I mean, it's happening at Hogwarts -"

"Ludo, we need to meet the Bulgarians, you know," said Mr. Crouch sharply, cutting Bagman's remarks short. "Thank you for the tea, Weatherby."

He pushed his undrunk tea back at Percy and waited for Ludo to rise; Bagman struggled to his feet, swigging down the last of his tea, the gold in his pockets chinking merrily.

"See you all later!" he said. "You'll be up in the Top Box with me - I'm commentating!" He waved, Barty Crouch nodded curtly, and both of them Disapparated.

"What's happening at Hogwarts?" said Fred at once. "What were they talking about?"

"It's classified information, until such time as the Ministry decides to release it," said Percy stiffly. "Mr. Crouch was quite right not to disclose it."

"Oh shut up, Weatherby," said Fred.

A sense of excitement rose like a palpable cloud over the campsite as the afternoon wore on. By dusk, the still summer air itself seemed to be quivering with anticipation, and as darkness spread like a curtain over the thousands of waiting wizards, the last vestiges of pretence disappeared: the Ministry seemed to have bowed to the inevitable and stopped fighting the signs of blatant magic now breaking out everywhere.

Salesmen were Apparating every few feet, carrying trays and pushing carts full of extraordinary merchandise. There were luminous rosettes - green for Ireland, red for Bulgaria - which were squealing the names of the players, pointed green hats bedecked with dancing shamrocks, Bulgarian scarves adorned with lions that really roared, flags from both countries that played their national anthems as they were waved; there were tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves.

"Been saving my pocket money all summer for this," Ron told Harry as they strolled through the salesmen, buying souvenirs. Though Ron purchased a dancing shamrock hat and a large green rosette, he also bought a small figure of Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker. The miniature Krum walked backward and forward over Ron's hand, scowling up at the green rosette above him.

"Wow, look at these!" said Harry, hurrying over to a cart piled high with what looked like brass binoculars, except that they were covered with all sorts of weird knobs and dials.

"Omnioculars," said the saleswizard eagerly. "You can replay action...slow everything down...and they flash up a play-by-play breakdown if you need it. Bargain - ten Galleons each."

"Wish I hadn't bought this now," said Ron, gesturing at his dancing shamrock hat and gazing longingly at the Omnioculars.

"Four pairs," said Harry firmly to the wizard.

"No - don't bother," said Ron, going red. He was always touchy about the fact that Harry, who had inherited a small fortune from his parents, had much more money than he did.

"You won't be getting anything for Christmas," Harry told him, thrusting Omnioculars into his, Gienah's and Hermione's hands. "For about ten years, mind."

"Fair enough," said Ron, grinning.

"Oooh, thanks, Harry," said Hermione. "And I'll get us some programs, look -"

Their money bags considerably lighter, they went back to the tents. Bill, Charlie, and Ginny were all sporting green rosettes too, and Mr. Weasley was carrying an Irish flag. Fred and George had no souvenirs as they had given Bagman all their gold. Sirius wore an Irish paddy cup.

And then a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and at once, green and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the field.

"It's time!" said Mr. Weasley, looking as excited as any of them. "Come on, let's go!"

Clutching their purchases, Mr. Weasley in the lead, they all hurried into the wood, following the lantern-lit trail. They could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, shouts and laughter, snatches of singing. The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious; Gienah couldn't stop grinning. They walked through the wood for twenty minutes, talking and joking loudly, until at last they emerged on the other side and found themselves in the shadow of a gigantic stadium. Though Gienah could see only a fraction of the immense gold walls surrounding the field, she could tell that ten cathedrals would fit comfortably inside it.

"Seats a hundred thousand," said Mr. Weasley, spotting the awestruck look on Harry's face. "Ministry task force of five hundred have been working on it all year. Muggle Repelling Charms on every inch of it. Every time Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they've suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away again...bless them," he added fondly, leading the way toward the nearest entrance, which was already surrounded by a swarm of shouting witches and wizards.

"Prime seats!" said the Ministry witch at the entrance when she checked their tickets. "Top Box! Straight upstairs, Arthur, and as high as you can go."

The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in rich purple. They clambered upward with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through doors into the stands to their left and right. Mr. Weasley's party kept climbing, and at last they reached the top of the staircase and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts. About twenty purple-and-gilt chairs stood in two rows here, and Gienah, filing into the front seats with the Weasleys, looked down upon a scene the likes of which he could never have imagined.

A hundred thousand witches and wizards were taking their places in the seats, which rose in levels around the long oval field. Everything was suffused with a mysterious golden light, which seemed to come from the stadium itself. The field looked smooth as velvet from their lofty position. At either end of the field stood three goal hoops, fifty feet high; right opposite them, almost at Gienah's eye level, was a gigantic blackboard. Gold writing kept dashing across it as though an invisible giant's hand were scrawling upon the blackboard and then wiping it off again; watching it, GIenah saw that it was flashing advertisements across the field.

Gienah looked over his shoulder to see who else was sharing the box with them. So far it was empty, except for a tiny creature sitting in the second from last seat at the end of the row behind them. The creature, whose legs were so short they stuck out in front of it on the chair, was wearing a tea towel draped like a toga, and it had its face hidden in its hands. Yet those long, batlike ears were oddly familiar...

"Dobby?" said Gienah incredulously.

The tiny creature looked up and stretched its fingers, revealing enormous brown eyes and a nose the exact size and shape of a large tomato. It wasn't Dobby - it was, however, unmistakably a house-elf, as Gienah's friend Dobby had been. Harry had set Dobby free from his old owners, the Malfoy family.

"Did miss just call me Dobby?" squeaked the elf curiously from between its fingers. Its voice was higher even than Dobby's had been, a teeny, quivering squeak of a voice. Harry, Ron and Hermione spun around in their seats to look. Though they had heard a lot about Dobby from Harry, they had never actually met him. Even Mr. Weasley looked around in interest.

"Sorry," Gienah told the elf, "I just thought you were someone I knew."

"But I knows Dobby too, miss!" squeaked the elf. She was shielding her face, as though blinded by light, though the Top Box was not brightly lit.

"But Dobby talks of Harry Potter all the time, sir!" she said, lowering her hands very slightly and looking awestruck at Harry.

"How is he?" said Harry. "How's freedom suiting him?"

"Ah, sir," said Winky, shaking her head, "ah sir, meaning no disrespect, sir, but I is not sure you did Dobby a favor, sir, when you is setting him free."

"Why?" said Harry, taken aback. "What's wrong with him?"

"Freedom is going to Dobby's head, sir, " said Winky sadly. "Ideas above his station, sir. Can't get another position, sir."

"Why not?" said Harry.

Winky lowered her voice by a half-octave and whispered, "He is wanting paying for his work, sir."

"Paying?" said Harry blankly. "Well - why shouldn't he be paid?"

Winky looked quite horrified at the idea and closed her fingers slightly so that her face was half-hidden again.

"House-elves is not paid, sir!" she said in a muffled squeak. "No, no, no. I says to Dobby, I says, go find yourself a nice family and settle down, Dobby. He is getting up to all sorts of high jinks, sir, what is unbecoming to a house-elf. You goes racketing around like this, Dobby, I says, and next thing I hear you's up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, like some common goblin."

"Well, it's about time he had a bit of fun," said Hermione.

"House-elves is not supposed to have fun, miss," said Winky firmly, from behind her hands. "House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, miss" - she glanced toward the edge of the box and gulped - "but my master sends me to the Top Box and I comes, sir."

"Why's he sent you up here, if he knows you don't like heights?" said Harry, frowning.

"Master - master wants me to save him a seat, Harry Potter. He is very busy," said Winky, tilting her head toward the empty space beside her. "Winky is wishing she is back in master's tent, Harry Potter, but Winky does what she is told. Winky is a good house-elf."

She gave the edge of the box another frightened look and hid her eyes completely again. Gienah and Harry turned back to the others.

"So that's a house-elf?" Ron muttered. "Weird things, aren't they?"

"Dobby was weirder," said Harry fervently. Gienah nodded in agreement.

Ron pulled out his Omnioculars and started testing them, staring down into the crowd on the other side of the stadium.

"Wild!" he said, twiddling the replay knob on the side. I can make that old bloke down there pick his nose again...and again...and again..."

Hermione, meanwhile, was skimming eagerly through her velvet covered, tasseled program.

The box filled gradually around them over the next half hour. Sirius and Mr. Weasley kept shaking hands with people who were obviously very important wizards. Percy jumped to his feet so often that he looked as though he were trying to sit on a hedgehog. When Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself, arrived, Percy bowed so low that his glasses fell off and shattered. Highly embarrassed, he repaired them with his wand and thereafter remained in his seat, throwing jealous looks at Harry, whom Cornelius Fudge had greeted like an old friend. They had met before, and Fudge shook Harry's hand in a fatherly fashion, asked how he was, and introduced him to the wizards on either side of him.

"Harry Potter, you know," he told the Bulgarian minister loudly, who was wearing splendid robes of black velvet trimmed with gold and didn't seem to understand a word of English. "Harry Potter...oh come on now, you know who he is...the boy who survived You-Know-Who...you do know who he is -"

The Bulgarian wizard suddenly spotted Harry's scar and started gabbling loudly and excitedly, pointing at it.

"Knew we'd get there in the end," said Fudge wearily to Harry. "I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Barty Crouch for this sort of thing. Ah, I see his house-elf's saving him a seat...Good job too, these Bulgarian blighters have been trying to cadge all the best places...ah, Lord Black!"

"Cornelius." Sirius bowed his head slightly.

"Ah and and here's Lucius!"

Gienah turned quickly. Edging along the second row to three still-empty seats right behind Mr. Weasley were none other than Dobby the house-elf's former owners: Lucius, Draco, Alyssandra and Narcissa holding baby Ara.

Gienah gave a small smile to Draco. Ron actually glared. A pale boy with a pointed face and white-blond hair, Draco greatly resembled his father.

"Ah, Fudge," said Mr. Malfoy, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of Magic. "How are you? I don't think you've met my sister Alyssandra Malfoy?"

"How do you do, how do you do?" said Fudge, smiling and bowing to Ms. Malfoy. "And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk - Obalonsk - Mr. - well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind. And let's see who else - you know Arthur Weasley, I daresay?"

It was a tense moment. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy looked at each other and Harry vividly recalled the last time they had come face-to-face: It had been in Flourish and Blotts' bookshop, and they had had a fight. Mr. Malfoy's cold gray eyes swept over Mr. Weasley, and then up and down the row.

"Good lord, Arthur," he said softly. "What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?"

"Lucius old boy" Sirius's eyes glinted dangerously

Fudge, who wasn't listening, said, "Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest."

"How - how nice," said Mr. Weasley, with a very strained smile.

Mr. Malfoy's eyes had returned to Hermione, who went slightly pink, but stared determinedly back at him.

"Narcissa." Sirius bowed charmingly. "Alyssandra."

"Why don't you and ...Mr. Weasley join us and Draco can sit with the children?" Narcissa said to her father and son's distaste.

"I am not one to deny you your wishes Narcissa." Sirius had his eyes on one woman when he spoke.

Sirius and an uncomfortable Mr. Wasley followed the Malfoys to their seats.

"Slimy gits," Ron muttered as they turned to face the field again. Malfoy came to sit near Gienah. Next moment, Ludo Bagman charged into the box.

"Everyone ready?" he said, his round face gleaming like a great, excited Edam. "Minister - ready to go?"

"Ready when you are, Ludo," said Fudge comfortably.

Ludo whipped out his wand, directed it at his own throat, and said "Sonorus!" and then spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoed over them, booming into every corner of the stands.

"Ladies and gentlemen...welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"

The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket. The huge blackboard opposite them was wiped clear of its last message (Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans - A Risk With Every Mouthful!) and now showed BULGARIA: 0, IRELAND: 0.

"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce...the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!"

The right-hand side of the stands, which was a solid block of scarlet, roared its approval.

"Veela!" Gienah said excitedly.

"What are veel -?"

But a hundred veela were now gliding out onto the field, and Harry's question was answered for him. Veela were women...the most beautiful women...except that they weren't - they couldn't be - human. This puzzled Harry for a moment while he tried to guess what exactly they could be; what could make their skin shine moon-bright like that, or their white-gold hair fan out behind them without wind...but then the music started.

The veela had started to dance, Gienah sniggered as the boys faces went blank.

And as the veela danced faster and faster, wild, half-formed thoughts started chasing through Harry had stood up, Ron as frozen as though he were about to dive from a springboard and Draco was holding his seat with some difficulty.

"Harry, what are you doing?" said Hermione's voice from a long way off.

The music stopped. Harry blinked.

Angry yells were filling the stadium. The crowd didn't want the veela to go. Harry was with them; he would, of course, be supporting Bulgaria, and he wondered vaguely why he had a large green shamrock pinned to his chest. Ron, meanwhile, was absentmindedly shredding the shamrocks on his hat.

Hermione made a loud tutting noise. She reached up and pulled Harry back into his seat. "Honestly!" she said.

"And now," roared Ludo Bagman's voice, "kindly put your wands in the air...for the Irish National Team Mascots!"

Next moment, what seemed to be a great green-and-gold comet came zooming into the stadium. It did one circuit of the stadium, then split into two smaller comets, each hurtling toward the goal posts. A rainbow arced suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light. The crowd oooohed and aaaaahed, as though at a fireworks display. Now the rainbow faded and the balls of light reunited and merged; they had formed a great shimmering shamrock, which rose up into the sky and began to soar over the stands. Something like golden rain seemed to be falling from it -

"Excellent!" yelled Ron as the shamrock soared over them, and heavy gold coins rained from it, bouncing off their heads and seats. Squinting up at the shamrock, Harry realized that it was actually comprised of thousands of tiny little bearded men with red vests, each carrying a minute lamp of gold or green.

"Leprechauns!" said Hermione over the tumultuous applause of the crowd, many of whom were still fighting and rummaging around under their chairs to retrieve the gold.

"There you go," Ron yelled happily, stuffing a fistful of gold coins into Harry's hand, "for the Omnioculars! Now you've got to buy me a Christmas present, ha!"

Draco snorted next to Gienah.

The great shamrock dissolved, the leprechauns drifted down onto the field on the opposite side from the veela, and settled themselves cross-legged to watch the match.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome - the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you - Dimitrov!"

A scarlet-clad figure on a broomstick, moving so fast it was blurred, shot out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Bulgarian supporters.

"Ivanova!"

A second scarlet-robed player zoomed out.

"Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaand - Krum!"

"That's him, that's him!" yelled Ron, following Krum with his Omnioculars.

Viktor Krum was thin, dark, and sallow-skinned, with a large curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He looked like an overgrown bird of prey. It was hard to believe he was only eighteen.

"And now, please greet - the Irish National Quidditch Team!" yelled Bagman. "Presenting - Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand - Lynch!"

Seven green blurs swept onto the field; Harry spun a small dial on the side of his Omnioculars and slowed the players down enough to read the word "Firebolt" on each of their brooms and see their names, embroidered in silver, upon their backs.

"And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chair wizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!"

A small and skinny wizard, completely bald but with a mustache, wearing robes of pure gold to match the stadium, strode out onto the field. A silver whistle was protruding from under the mustache, and he was carrying a large wooden crate under one arm, his broomstick under the other. Gienah spun the speed dial on his Omnioculars back to normal, watching closely as Mostafa mounted his broomstick and kicked the crate open - four balls burst into the air: the scarlet Quaffle, the two black Bludgers, and the minuscule, winged Golden Snitch. With a sharp blast on his whistle, Mostafa shot into the air after the balls.

"Theeeeeeeey're OFF!" screamed Bagman. "And it's Mullet! Troy! Moran! Dimitrov! Back to Mullet! Troy! Levski! Moran!"

It was Quidditch as Gienah had never seen it played before. She was pressing his Omnioculars so hard the rims were cutting into the bridge of his nose. The speed of the players was incredible - the Chasers were throwing the Quaffle to one another so fast that Bagman only had time to say their names. Gienah spun the slow dial on the right of her Omnioculars again, pressed the play-by-play button on the top, and she was immediately watching in slow motion, while glittering purple lettering flashed across the lenses and the noise of the crowd pounded against her eardrums.

HAWKSHEAD ATTACKING FORMATION, she read as she watched the three Irish Chasers zoom closely together, Troy in the center, slightly ahead of Mullet and Moran, bearing down upon the Bulgarians. PORSKOFF PLOY flashed up next, as Troy made as though to dart upward with the Quaffle, drawing away the Bulgarian Chaser Ivanova and dropping the Quaffle to Moran. One of the Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov, swung hard at a passing Bludger with his small club, knocking it into Moran's path; Moran ducked to avoid the Bludger and dropped the Quaffle; and Levski, soaring beneath, caught it - "TROY SCORES!" roared Bagman, and the stadium shuddered with a roar of applause and cheers. "Ten zero to Ireland!"

"What?" Gienah yelled, looking wildly around through her Omnioculars. "But Levski's got the Quaffle!"

Draco reached over and spun her speed dial back to normal.

Gienah knew enough about Quidditch to see that the Irish Chasers were superb. They worked as a seamless team, their movements so well coordinated that they appeared to be reading one another's minds as they positioned themselves, and the rosette on Gienah's chest kept squeaking their names: "Troy - Mullet - Moran!" And within ten minutes, Ireland had scored twice more, bringing their lead to thirty-zero and causing a thunderous tide of roars and applause from the green-clad supporters.

The match became still faster, but more brutal. Volkov and Vulchanov, the Bulgarian Beaters, were whacking the Bludgers as fiercely as possible at the Irish Chasers, and were starting to prevent them from using some of their best moves; twice they were forced to scatter, and then, finally, Ivanova managed to break through their ranks; dodge the Keeper, Ryan; and score Bulgaria's first goal.

The veela started to dance in celebration. Gienah shook her head as the boys stuffed their fingers in their ears. Bulgaria was again in possession of the Quaffle.

"Dimitrov! Levski! Dimitrov! Ivanova - oh I say!" roared Bagman.

One hundred thousand wizards gasped as the two Seekers, Krum and Lynch, plummeted through the center of the Chasers, so fast that it looked as though they had just jumped from airplanes without parachutes. Gienah followed their descent through her Omnioculars, squinting to see where the Snitch was -

"They're going to crash!" screamed Hermione next to Harry.

She was half right - at the very last second, Viktor Krum pulled out of the dive and spiraled off. Lynch, however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium. A huge groan rose from the Irish seats.

"Fool!" moaned Ron. "Krum was feinting!"

"It's time-out!" yelled Bagman's voice, "as trained mediwizards hurry onto the field to examine Aidan Lynch!"

"He'll be okay, he only got ploughed!" Charlie said reassuringly to Ginny, who was hanging over the side of the box, looking horror-struck. "Which is what Krum was after, of course..."

Gienah hastily pressed the replay and play-by-play buttons on her Omnioculars, twiddled the speed dial, and put them back up to her eyes.

She watched as Krum and Lynch dived again in slow motion. WRONSKI DEFENSIVE FEINT - DANGEROUS SEEKER DIVERSION read the shining purple lettering across her lenses. She saw Krum's face contorted with concentration as he pulled out of the dive just in time, while Lynch was flattened, and she understood - Krum hadn't seen the Snitch at all, he was just making Lynch copy him. Gienah had never seen anyone fly like that; Krum hardly looked as though he was using a broomstick at all; he moved so easily through the air that he looked unsupported and weightless. Gienah turned her Omnioculars back to normal and focused them on Krum. She was now circling high above Lynch, who was being revived by mediwizards with cups of potion. Gienah, focusing still more closely upon Krum's face, saw his dark eyes darting all over the ground a hundred feet below. He was using the time while Lynch was revived to look for the Snitch without interference.

Lynch got to his feet at last, to loud cheers from the green-clad supporters, mounted his Firebolt, and kicked back off into the air. His revival seemed to give Ireland new heart. When Mostafa blew his whistle again, the Chasers moved into action with a skill unrivaled by anything Gienah had seen so far.

After fifteen more fast and furious minutes, Ireland had pulled ahead by ten more goals. They were now leading by one hundred and thirty points to ten, and the game was starting to get dirtier.

As Mullet shot toward the goal posts yet again, clutching the Quaffle tightly under her arm, the Bulgarian Keeper, Zograf, flew out to meet her. Whatever happened was over so quickly Gienah didn't catch it, but a scream of rage from the Irish crowd, and Mostafa's long, shrill whistle blast, told her it had been a foul.

"And Mostafa takes the Bulgarian Keeper to task for cobbing - excessive use of elbows!" Bagman informed the roaring spectators. "And - yes, it's a penalty to Ireland!"

The leprechauns, who had risen angrily into the air like a swarm of glittering hornets when Mullet had been fouled, now darted together to form the words "HA, HA, HA!"

The veela on the other side of the field leapt to their feet, tossed their hair angrily, and started to dance again.

As one, the Weasley boys and Harry stuffed their fingers into their ears, but Hermione, who hadn't bothered, was soon tugging on Harry's arm. He turned to look at her, and she pulled his fingers impatiently out of his ears.

"Look at the referee!" she said, giggling.

Gienah looked down at the field. Hassan Mostafa had landed right in front of the dancing veela, and was acting very oddly indeed. He was flexing his muscles and smoothing his mustache excitedly.

"Now, we can't have that!" said Ludo Bagman, though he sounded highly amused. "Somebody slap the referee!"

A mediwizard came tearing across the field, his fingers stuffed into his own ears, and kicked Mostafa hard in the shins. Mostafa seemed to come to himself; Gienah, watching through the Omnioculars again, saw that he looked exceptionally embarrassed and had started shouting at the veela, who had stopped dancing and were looking mutinous.

"Men" Gienah scoffed.

"Women" Draco retorted. "Using your womanly wiles."

"And unless I'm much mistaken, Mostafa is actually attempting to send off the Bulgarian team mascots!" said Bagman's voice. "Now there's something we haven't seen before...Oh this could turn nasty...

It did: The Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov and Vulchanov, landed on either side of Mostafa and began arguing furiously with him, gesticulating toward the leprechauns, who had now gleefully formed the words "HEE, HEE, HEE." Mostafa was not impressed by the Bulgarians' arguments, however; he was jabbing his finger into the air, clearly telling them to get flying again, and when they refused, he gave two short blasts on his whistle.

"Two penalties for Ireland!" shouted Bagman, and the Bulgarian crowd howled with anger. "And Volkov and Vulchanov had better get back on those brooms...yes...there they go...and Troy takes the Quaffle..."

Play now reached a level of ferocity beyond anything they had yet seen. The Beaters on both sides were acting without mercy: Volkov and Vulchanov in particular seemed not to care whether their clubs made contact with Bludger or human as they swung them violently through the air. Dimitrov shot straight at Moran, who had the Quaffle, nearly knocking her off her broom.

"Foul!" roared the Irish supporters as one, all standing up in a great wave of green.

"Foul!" echoed Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice. "Dimitrov skins Moran - deliberately flying to collide there - and it's got to be another penalty - yes, there's the whistle!"

The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field. At this, the veela lost control. Instead of dancing, they launched themselves across the field and began throwing what seemed to be handfuls of fire at the leprechauns. Watching through his Omnioculars, Gienah saw that they didn't look remotely beautiful now. On the contrary, their faces were elongating into sharp, cruel-beaked bird heads, and long, scaly wings were bursting from their shoulders -

"Hmm. Reminds me of a certain witch." Draco murmured. "Would you know which witch I speak of?"

Gienah blushed ever so slightly.

Ministry wizards were flooding onto the field to separate the veela and the leprechauns, but with little success; meanwhile, the pitched battle below was nothing to the one taking place above. Gienah turned this way and that, staring through her Omnioculars, as the Quaffie changed hands with the speed of a bullet.

"Levski - Dimitrov - Moran - Troy - Mullet - Ivanova - Moran again - Moran - MORAN SCORES!"

But the cheers of the Irish supporters were barely heard over the shrieks of the veela, the blasts now issuing from the Ministry members' wands, and the furious roars of the Bulgarians. The game recommenced immediately; now Levski had the Quaffle, now Dimitrov -

The Irish Beater Quigley swung heavily at a passing Bludger, and hit it as hard as possible toward Krum, who did not duck quickly enough. It hit him full in the face.

There was a deafening groan from the crowd; Krum's nose looked broken, there was blood everywhere, but Hassan Mostafa didn't blow his whistle. He had become distracted, and Gienah couldn't blame him; one of the veela had thrown a handful of fire and set his broom tail alight.

Gienah wanted someone to realize that Krum was injured.

"Time-out! Ah, come on, he can't play like that, look at him -"

"Look at Lynch!" Harry yelled.

For the Irish Seeker had suddenly gone into a dive, and Gienah was quite sure that this was no Wronski Feint; this was the real thing...

"He's seen the Snitch!" Harry shouted. "He's seen it! Look at him go!"

Half the crowd seemed to have realized what was happening; the Irish supporters rose in another great wave of green, screaming their Seeker on...but Krum was on his tail. How he could see where he was going, Gienah had no idea; there were flecks of blood flying through the air behind him, but he was drawing level with Lynch now as the pair of them hurtled toward the ground again -

"They're going to crash!" shrieked Hermione.

"They're not!" roared Ron.

"Lynch is!" yelled Harry.

And Harry was right - for the second time, Lynch hit the ground with tremendous force and was immediately stampeded by a horde of angry veela.

"The Snitch, where's the Snitch?" bellowed Charlie, along the row.

"He's got it - Krum's got it - it's all over!" shouted Harry.

Krum, his red robes shining with blood from his nose, was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a glint of gold in his hand.

The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: 160, IRELAND: 170 across the crowd, who didn't seem to have realized what had happened. Then, slowly, as though a great jumbo jet were revving up, the rumbling from the Ireland supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight.

"IRELAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, who like the Irish, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match.

"KRUM GETS THE SNITCH - BUT IRELAND WINS - good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!"

"What did he catch the Snitch for?" Ron bellowed, even as he jumped up and down, applauding with his hands over his head. "He ended it when Ireland were a hundred and sixty points ahead, the idiot!"

"He knew they were never going to catch up!" Harry shouted back over all the noise, also applauding loudly. "The Irish Chasers were too good...He wanted to end it on his terms, that's all...

"He was very brave, wasn't he?" Hermione said, leaning forward to watch Krum land as a swarm of mediwizards blasted a path through the battling leprechauns and veela to get to him. "He looks a terrible mess..."

"IRELAND!" Gienah screamed again and again, she then hugged Draco before jumped up and down whooping.

The box began to be filled with VIP's. A few of the players from both sides were lingering and helping themselves to the floating bottles of champagne. Narcissa was socializing leaving Ara to Lucius who was speaking to the Bulgarian minister.

Sirius was speaking to the Irish Team's coach as Alyssandra came down to kiss Gienah and Harry on the cheeks.

"You and your guests are welcome to the after-party" Alyssandra said to Gienah and the boys behind her who seemed as fixed on her as they had been with the veela.

"Yes please!" Gienah said.

They followed the crowd down the carpeted steps. Raucous singing was borne toward them on the night air as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit path, and leprechauns kept shooting over their heads, cackling and waving their lanterns.

"How did _they_ get an invite?" Ron said.

"The Malfoys are invited for sponsoring the game." Gienah said. "And please don't speak about them like that. Narcissa and Alyssandra are good friends of mine."

Ron grunted but spoke not another ill word towards the Malfoys.

They followed the party into the woods where there was a floating marquee in the Irish colours. Narcissa and Alyssandra took off their cloaks to reveal beautiful white robes. Everywhere Gienah looked she saw famous witches and wizards she'd only seen in Witch Weekly. Celestina Warbeck was speaking the Bulgarian prime minister. Rita Skeeter was speaking to an extremely irritated looking Irish seeker. The veela's seemed to cluster together, drinking and speaking quietly to themselves as wizards stared from a distance.

"There's Krum!" Ron squeaked, tugging Gienah's jumper.

There indeed was the Bulgarian seeker with a rogue veela fawning over him. He seemed to be immune to her charms to Gienah's surprise.

"Champagne?" Draco offered, suddenly by her side.

"Shouldn't you be shadowing your mother and taking notes?" Gienah asked, taking the glass as she watched Narcissa speaking to a crowd of Bulgarian women. All rather heavily made up and clearly quite well off.

"Father gave me the little sprog." Malfoy wrinkled his nose. Gienah turned and saw Ara in his arms.

"You love her really." Gienah said as she played peekaboo with the little witch.

"Yes but I doubt I'll manage to chat a veela up with a baby in my arms." Draco said huffily, gazing at the flock of Veela standing a few metres away from them.

"Oh I don't know" Gienah said. "That is one cute baby."

Draco looked at her for a moment before walking away. Gienah looked around and saw she was left alone. Hermione had somehow managed to strike a conversation with Krum. Ginny was entertaining two handsome Irish players and Harry and Ron had disappeared.

"Genah!"

Gienah walked towards Ginny and shook their hands.

"This is Ardan and Darcy." Ginny said with a smile. "They went to Hogwarts! I was just trying to guess what house they're in."

"Were you in different houses?"

"Aye" the taller one said, his irish lilt rolling off his tongue.

"Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

"Right yer are!"

"You can't be much older than us" Ginny said in a flirtatious voice. Gienah wondered if she'd lied about her age.

"Yer don't want ter nu" Darcy grinned. "Donkey years."

"You'll have to excuse me" GIenah said apologetically and left the marquee which had become even busier now the Hobgoblins had started off playing.

Gienah walked back towards the site alone against the incoming tide of people. The Bulgarians seemed to be drowning their disappointment and the Irish using the celebration as an excuse to drink. Gienah had no idea where she was going. Only that she knew Cedric was around somewhere and she hadn't seen him for weeks. She walked from campsite to camp site. Cedric must be inside one of the tents or at a party. Feeling worn off her feet she wandered into the woods away from the busy path leading to the party. Gienah then saw the strangest site beyond a tree and into a clearing. Gienah hid behind the tree to watch a house elf dragging herself towards the direction she stood, sweating and breathing heavily.

"Master must return to the tent!" Winky squeaked, her voice shaken with fear.

"Winky?" Gienah came out from behind the tree and looked closer at her. Winky was suddenly pulled back and fell ungraciously on her backside. Winky looked frantically around her and ran off once again.

"Winky!" Gienah called, running after her. She had ended up at another end of the campsite. The tents were large and daunting. They looked like teepees more than tents. Then she felt a shiver. She drew her wand.

The noises in the campsite had changed. The singing had stopped. She could hear screams, and the sound of people running. From a distance she could jeering, roars of laughter, and drunken yells were drifting through the woods. It all sounded strangely distorted.

Gienah ran blindly toward the noise. At the edge of the wood where she had first strayed she breathed heavily behind a large tree.

The whole campsite was lit brilliantly in green flames. Tents were burning, disintegrating before they even fell to the ground. Then right in front of her. Less than an arm's length away she saw them.

A crowd of wizards were moving together with wands pointing straight upward, marching slowly across the field. Gienah squinted at them...They didn't seem to have faces...Then she realized that their heads were hooded and their faces masked. High above them, floating along in midair, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air. Two of the figures were very small.

Wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. The screaming grew louder.

The floating people were suddenly illuminated as they passed over a burning tent and Gienag recognized one of them: Mr. Roberts, the campsite manager. The other three looked as though they might be his wife and children. One of the marchers below flipped Mrs. Roberts upside down with his wand; her nightdress fell down to reveal voluminous drawers and she struggled to cover herself up as the crowd below her screeched and hooted with glee.

Gienah growled and leaped as she twisted into a thestral. Gienah relished the power of her wings for a second before swooping down and taking Mrs. Roberts by the shoulder. The woman was screaming beneath her and her struggle caused Gienah to sink her claws into her bare shoulders. Gienah sighed as she descended some way away from the campsite. Turning back she sent her into a sleep and returned to rescue the rest of the family.

Gienah hesitated before grabbing the children. She could rip them apart. She looked at the masked figures and estimated there was seven of them. She targeted the ones blasting the tents out of their way and took to the ground once more. There were no aurors around yet. Just civilians. Gienah sighed and swooped down to pick two figures by the shoulder and dropped them a few metres away onto a burning tent. Returning she did the same to another two before she transformed and began attacking with her wand.

"Move little girl" One hissed as she ducked from a nasty looking curse. Gienah pulled her favorite duelling move and soon they were confused by seven identical figures. Gienah slashed her wand and gracefully captured one as he fell to the ground.

"Climb onto my back" Gienah whispered to the boy.

The boy of seven clambered onto her back and clinged onto her neck with a death grip as she fought one on three. Finally she saw a ministry official join the duel and she managed to attack the one enchanting the little girl. Gienah was too far away to catch her so she quickly waved her wand and the girl began to slow down before hitting the ground with a soft thud. Gienah ran and picked her up placing the unconscious girl on her hip. She was dead weight and there was one masked figure walking towards her in a predatory manner. Gienah closed her eyes and for the first time attempted to turn into a veela. She felt wings sprout out of her backs but didn't stop to adjust as she flew up and away from the hexes flying her way. She dropped the children off near their mother and woke her from her enchanted sleep. The woman cried as she hugged her children and then kissed Gienah. Gienah told her to keep hidden in the trees and wait for her to return with her husband. From the view afforded to her by her wings she saw a dozen aurors attempting to contain the fires but the dark figures were nowhere to be seen. She saw Mr. Roberts unconscious on the ground and hurriedly flew to him. Changing once more she knelt beside him. He was bleeding.

"Medical aid required!" Gienah shouted with a note of panic.

The colored lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air. People ran around her in a stampede, almost crushing her and Mr. Roberts.

"SOMEONE!" Gienah screamed.

Her hands were bloodied and the bandages were doing nothing to stop the blood pouring from his chest. Gienah tried to recall a few healing charms. His face was growing pale. Gienah cried out yet again. Tears fell from her eyes as she watched the life drain out of the man in her arms.

An hour later she felt a cool hand on her shoulder.

"You need to let go of him."

Gienah was clinging to the dead corpse, rocking back and forth.

"Gienah."

Gienah felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her up and into his arms. She held fast to his hand but her fingers were gently pried away from the cold hand. She pressed her head against a hard chest and wept.

"I couldn't - save - him." Gienah was hiccuping.

"Black, you're getting snot all over my shirt."

Gienah smiled and finally looked up.

"You have pretty eyelashes." Gienah said looking up at Draco Malfoy.

Draco looked down at her briefly.

"I think I can walk." Gienah said, attempting to get out of his grip.

"I think not." Draco said simply.

They walked through the woods. Gienah could hear people now. Children crying. People running, whispering and shouting instead of screaming.

"Gienah!"

Gienah turned her head quickly.

"Cedric" Gienah sighed.

"I think I can take her from here on Malfoy." Cedric said in his best prefect voice.

"I found her." Draco said, holding her a little closer to him. "I will take her to Lord Black. I believe my mother is with him so if you'll excuse me-"

Cedric walked up to him.

"Gienah is my girlfriend." Cedric said quietly. "It is my duty to protect her. I will return her to her father."

They looked at each other for a while before Draco released her promptly, catching her by the waist before she fell. His fingers lingered on her before Cedric took her hand and pulled her to him.

"Cedric!" Gienah said angrily. "Do not grab me. I am not a toy or a piece of meat."

She noticed Draco smirking and glared at him before turning sharply.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have grabbed you." Cedric said behind her, jogging to keep up. "I didn't like seeing him all over you."

"Dad!" Gienah ran over to Sirius who was looking worse for wear. His shirt was black with soot, and he had a mediwitch tending to his back. When gienah saw it she gasped. His back was completely burnt. New skin was being weaved and the burnt flesh ripped away. He was still standing, gritting his teeth as he spoke to an auror.

"Gienah" Sirius sighed, waving the auror away.

"Be still my lord!" The woman said waspishly.

Sirius rolled his eyes and winked at Gienah.

"Thank Merlin you're alright my love." Sirius held her for a moment before scolding her.

"Why did you leave without my permission Gienah?"

"I went to find Cedric."

"Hmm."

"I - I found the muggle family they were torturing."

Sirius put his hand over his face.

"You'll be the death of me."

"I saved the mother and children - but - I was too late to save Mr. Roberts." Gienah confessed, her eyes glazed once more.

"Oh you brave child." Sirius said with a hand on her shoulder. "Did you stand by and watch? Did you run to save your own skin?"

Sirius spoke louder as he asked these questions to the crowd scattered nearby.

Gienah shook her head.

"You fought, and you saved lives but not every life can be saved and not yours to save." Sirius said with his eyes firmly on hers.

"Marvellous speech father." Gienah laughed, wiping her eyes of unfallen tears. "Did you practice that in the mirror?"

"Hmph" Sirius said. "Being your father it seems I need a few more where that came from. Now go and see to your boyfriend. He's sulking around. It's making me feel.. uncomfortable."

Gienah turned and saw Cedric was indeed loitering about. Gienah ran to him and jumped to hug him.

"You're alright." She smiled, breathing him in.

"I thought you were mad." Cedric said, stroking her hair.

"I was." Gienah said looking up at him, a frown on her lips. "But life's too short."

"Gienah!" Gienah turned and was ambushed by Ginny. "We've been looking for you everywhere!"

She saw Harry, Ron and Hermione behind her, looking exhausted but uninjured. They told her about the dark mark and Winky and their confrontation with Crouch. Mr. Weasley came by an hour later and informed them of Mrs. Roberts safety.

"They've been oblivated. They think Mr. Roberts was killed in a hunting accident." Mr. Weasley said. "The ministry will be making financial reparations for the family."

Gienah made a face of distaste.

"We have more injuries to look to and a hell of a lot of oblivating to do." Mr. Weasley sighed. "Return to your tent. The aurors are on guard and there are apparition wards surrounding the site. You'll be safe."

Gienah nodded.

Cedric came with her to their tent. The girls slept in the bedroom while Cedric and Gienah took the couch. She woke up several times that night, shivering and sweating. She was thankful for Cedric's comforting embrace and patience. Eventually she did manage more than a few hours of sleep. The next day the entire night seemed like a bad nightmare and only when she read the morning newspaper did it really sink in.


	32. Wedding Bells

Chapter Thirty-Six: **Wedding Bells**

The Black Manor was the English Versailles. There was no other way of describing its grandeur. The high baroque ceilings and the detail given to cornices and pillar pedistals. Paintings decorated most walls and instead of suits of armour in every corner there were statues of both marble and gold. The sheer size of the place prevented the ornate furniture from becoming gaudy. Everything was in a fine balance but most beautiful of all was not the paintings that hung on most walls, or the enchanted library which occupied most of the North Wing of the manor, or even the courtyard framed by the building and it's pretty balconies and white columns. No, the most beautiful view was from the iron gates of the building. A large rectangle of water stood before the entrance with its stone steps and double doors. The fountain at the centre was a woman that slowly twisted, sprouted wings and the water which came shooting out of her mouth turned into a beak, her hands resembled claws and the cherubs surrounding her became eagles in midflight surrounding her in all their marble glory.

Gienah felt her heart quicken. That was no veela. Gienah looked down at the little witch holding her hand and saw her mouth had dropped. Narcissa was crying and even Ara was looking around curiously to see why everyone had suddenly become so silent.

"Why your father doesn't claim the manor as his chief residence" Narcissa said softly. "Instead of playing with that charming cottage."

Looking at the manor Gienah couldn't help but agree.

"Back in the day, this was the centre of British politics." Narcissa commentated as they walked through the paved path surrounding the fountain. "A Black never took presidency but they were akin to royalty. Arcturus Black, your grandfather dear, outlived his son and so your father never did live here. I suppose it makes sense. The master of the house does not simply play house, in taking the throne there comes a heavy burden."

"Ah, there you are" Sirius's voice called from the distance. They heard it before they saw him.

As they drew closer he saw Sirius standing by a bench before the steps holding a large map and speaking to two little house elves. They were littler than any she'd ever seen before.

"Mistress!" One house elf saw Gienah and bowed so deeply her nose reached the floor.

"Mistress Black." The other said a little more shyly.

"This is Missy and Poppy." Sirius said, still preoccupied with the map. "Poor old Weepy's died a few years ago."

"We are pleased to serve our master now he has returned." The braver house-elf squeaked. Her sister shook her head at her and she became silent.

Sirius laughed.

"They are unused to human masters. They have served the house since their birth." Sirius said fondly. "You may speak when you wish to Missy."

Narcissa cleared her throat.

"Yes, Cissy?" Sirius flashed her a smile. "A glass of water may help."

Instantly Poppy disapparated and returned a few seconds later with a silver tray with a jug of water with pieces of lime and ice in it and a glass.

"Ooh you two" Sirius kneeled before them. "You've been practicing!"

"Yes master." They both chorused with smiles on their faces.

"Enough Sirius." Narcissa sighed. "We have less than twelve hours to prepare for a wedding."

"Right you are Cissy." Sirius straightened up. "May I?"

Sirius offered her his arm and Gienah and Lyra followed after them.

"It's so pretty." Lyra whispered.

Gienah nodded.

Narcissa decided the ceremony would take place in the courtyard and the reception in Younger Hall. One of the smaller ballrooms in the East Wing. An hour later Lupin and the rest of the Tonks family arrived.

"How is she?" Narcissa asked Andromeda.

"I had to slip a calming draught into her tea." Andromeda said, shaking her head. "Was she like this marrying Lestrange?"

Narcissa shook her head.

"Suppose being heavily pregnant doesn't help matters." Andromeda said.

"Andy!" Sirius called from the other end of the courtyard.

The Tonks had appeared with two trolleys filled with flowers. Sirius was setting up the top of the aisle.

"You two are in charge of finding thirty identical chairs and decorating with the sashes and the hanging vases." Narcissa pointed at the corner where they saw various boxes and potted plants.

"Yes ma'am" Gienah saluted her and went off with Lyra to find thirty chairs.

Two hours later Gienah and Lyra were weaving the lavender pink sashes through the backs of the chairs and hanging vases of flowers down the aisle seats. Sirius had finished the stone altar with a floral archway. Bellatrix had arrived but was somewhere upstairs with Catherine Creevey.

As they approached five the tables in the hall were decorated and ready for guests. The catering company had arrived and were set up in the kitchens. The harp player was plucking her instrument in the courtyard as people ran around half dressed.

At six Gienah, Lyra, Tonks and Ara were wearing matching light pink chiffon dresses. Both girls wore short dresses with thin straps and floral headbands on. Gienah and Tonks were strapless chiffon gowns with roses pinned to the back of their twisted hair. They both hid the shoes Narcissa had demanded they wear seeing as their gowns reached the floor anyway.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in" Tonks said, twirling her wand.

It was Alyssandra wearing a sheer pink backless dress with sequined flowers. Her blonde hair cascaded down her tanned back.

"Oh look at you!" Alyssandra raised her camera and took a photo without notice.

"How's Aunt Bella?" Gienah asked.

"Calm once I gave her a shot of firewhiskey." Alyssandra said, her eyes twinkling. "The guests are arriving. They are in the courtyard enjoying their drinks. Could you go down and mingle seeing as you're dressed?"

Lyra held baby Ara in her arms and the three girls walked down to the courtyard. A jazz band played by the canopy. Harry, Ron and Draco were sipping champagne all looking quite debonaire.

"You three look so handsome!" Gienah said as she came closer.

"Not bad yourself, Black." Draco drawled.

"Where's Ginny and Hermione? And has Cedric arrived yet?" Gienah said looking around. "Oh Luna!"

Luna was with her father wearing vivid yellow dress robes.

"I can't believe it." Mr. Lovegood sighed. "Remus. Married."

"Father's mourning." Luna said, hugging Gienah. "You look beautiful."

"You too." Gienah smiled. "How was the expedition?"

"Wonderful. We found pennyseeds and frewsa birds, flocks of them." Luna said in her dreamy voice. "Father told me you fought death eaters in the world cup and all I could say was that I wasn't surprised. Did you kill any?"

"No." Gienah said. "But maim I did."

"I really resent violence but I suppose you have to fight fire with fire" Luna said, softly smiling and looking into the distance. "Ginny and Hermione are walking over here."

Gienah turned and saw the two witches wearing lavender and light green.

"Gienah" Ginny whispered. "You reckon if I marry Harry I could live here?"

"I think the Potter's have their own house." Gienah said smiling.

"Did you know your great great grandfather was good friends with the tsar Alexander II?" Hermione asked. "I just saw a portrait of the two of them with the Bismarck in India!"

"No" Gienah said with mild curiosity.

"I don't understand how the Malfoy's can be wealthier than the Black's" Ginny said thoughtfully. "This is a palace compared to the Malfoy manor."

"The Malfoy wealth is tied in their investments rather than inherited." Came Alyssandra's voice from behind them. "The Black blood is considered more noble."

"Alyssandra!" Ginny said, kissing the witch on the cheeks.

"Ginevra" Alyssandra smiled warmly. "I need to take the bridesmaids in to begin the procession. Take your seats my darlings."

Gienah looked around and saw half of their guests seated. Sirius was calming Remus down in the corner of the courtyard. They both looked more dressed up than she'd ever seen them. Remus was wearing royal blue dress robes with a gold waistcoat.

Alyssandra grabbed Lyra and Ara and walked inside with Gienah and Tonks trailing behind. THey found Bellatrix as Cedrella in the ladies room looking into the mirror. Her white satin dress had a train so long Narcissa was holding onto it as she adjusted her veil. She wore a red velvet cloak over her dress, hanging low on her shoulders. Her arms were encased in lace elbow length gloves.

"Gienah" Bellatrix smiled as she saw her in the mirror.

"You look like royalty." Gienah said.

Bellatrix laughed.

"Lyra" Narcissa said briskly. "You will walk down the aisle first as we practiced love. Gienah, you follow, then Nymphadora and Alyssandra. Andromeda next. I will walk down with Ara and then Bella enters once we have taken our positions. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"Oh, your bouquet!" Narcissa said, running back to give Lyra her flowers and Bellatrix her trailing ivy and wild flower roses.

Lyra and Gienah walked quickly by the entrance to the courtyard, they peeked into the garden and saw everyone in position. Narcissa nodded at Sirius who was looking their way. The harp began to play and Lyra led the procession. As Gienah walked in she saw Cedric by the back with the Creevey's. Gienah smiled and sent him a kiss as she walked past.

Once they had taken their positions one either side of the groom on the stone steps Bellatrix walked in, her face barely visible under the lace veil.

"She looks like a queen" Lyra whispered in front of her.

"Shhh." Narcissa said, her finger to her lips, though she was crying with a smile on her face.

Lyra bit her lip and watched in silence. Flashes went off and the guests murmured.

As Bellatrix climbed the steps and stood before Lupin who had eyes for no one else the minister began. Gienah looked around as the welcome speech droned on. The entire Weasley family were here as well as the Creevey's and the Malfoys. Hagrid sat at the back on a reinforced bench, dabbing his eyes with his handkerchief beside Luna and Hermione. Lupin's mother sat beside Lucius Malfoy in the second row in a similar state. The floating lanterns cast the entire party in a luminous light.

"Will you take Cedrella Black to be your lawful wedded wife? Will you love her; forsaking all others to be faithful to her until death do you apart?" The minister looked celestial in her white robes.

"I do." Remus said softly.

"Cedrella, will you take Remus John Lupin, to be your lawful wedded husband? Will you love him; forsaking all others to be faithful to him until death do you apart?"

"I do" Bellatrix smiled.

Sirius passed Remus the rings to the minister who held the royal blue cushion between the couple.

"This ring, which has no beginning and no end, symbolizes the love between us that will never cease. May its presence on your hand remind you of my love and vow. I place it on your finger as a visible sign of the promises which have made us husband and wife." Bellatrix said, tears now freely falling from her eyes.

"From this day on, and every day after this day shall be shared and spent as one. By the power enthroned in me, in the name of magic and the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Lupin lifted the veil and kissed her gently on the lips as the guests applauded. The twins wolf whistled and Lyra cheered.

Catherine was taking photographs and Narcissa was sobbing into Andromeda's shoulder. Lupin then knelt down and kissed her swollen stomach and even Gienah felt her eyes glaze over. The band began to play again as Sirius announced to the guests the reception was waiting in Younger Hall where Harry and Draco led the guests. Gienah ran down the steps and looked for Cedric and found him waiting by the door. They kissed sweetly before Sirius came along and growled for them to move along. Following the dinner Fred and George began to call out "Speech! Speech!"

"Ladies and Gentleman." Sirius began, standing by Lupin with a glass in his hands. "I am honoured to be present in this beautiful ceremony to wish Remus and Ella well on the journey before them. A year ago they had no idea their lives were incomplete. Now I can't imagine them apart. I ask all of you to raise their glasses to the man who never thought he deserved love."

"To Remus" they called out amidst the tinkling of glasses.

An hour later the girls surrounded a table breathless from the dancing.

"So Cedrella won't be taking Remus's last name?" Hermione asked. "Well, that's very progressive of them."

"Well, it's more due to the allegiance she made with the House of Black." Gienah said speaking louder than necessary.

"Cedric is staring at you." Ginny giggled.

Gienah turned and saw Cedric sitting with the Weasley boys.

"I just spent the last hour dancing with him." Gienah shook her head laughing.

"Do you think Remus will have more children?" Ginny wondered.

"I was thinking about that. They placed another guest room on the floor with twin beds." Gienah said. "I think it must be something in the back of his mind."

"Well, we know there'll be another Black either way." Hermione said, nodding towards the dance floor. They turned and saw Sirius and Alyssandra dancing slowly to the upbeat number.

"I think I'd like that" Gienah said quietly.

"You know it's unlikely they'll stay in the cottage. Would you live here with them?" Hermione asked.

Gienah blinked.

"The cottage will always be my home." Gienah said. "But I spend more time in Hogwarts these days. And I can see myself wanting independence after Hogwarts which I'll get more of here considering the sheer size of the place."

"And you'll most likely be living in university halls after Hogwarts." Hermione pointed out. "Ooh I can't wait. I've been going to open days all summer."

"Hermione!" Gienah said. "We have two years to do that."

"I want to know what A Levels I need to do." Hermione replied.

"What degrees have you been looking at?"

"Politics, law and philosophy." Hermione said with a grin.

"I have no idea." Gienah panicked.

"You have two years." Hermione laughed.

"Easy for you to say. All three of you already have an idea what you want to do." Gienah sulked.

"I didn't know Harry knew" Hermione said.

"Forensics." Gienah sighed. "He wants to reform the auror department with muggle technology."

"You know Dumbledore has become interested in your career pathways." Lupin said, taking a seat beside Gienah. "He's thinking about offering more than a general muggle studies class in Hogwarts. Especially since the primary school only teaches History of Magic and elementary Potions. The rest of our curriculum consists in muggle subjects. Mathematics, art, geography, science and english literature and language. You four will be our pioneers."

"It is ridiculous how limited magical education is." Hermione said. "There aren't any magical universities!"

"Maybe you should open the first magical university Hermione." Lupin grinned.

Hermione blushed.

"I think you would be more suited.." Hermione said, looking rather flustered.

"I enjoy teaching children Hermione." Lupin said. "I already know one professor sick of teaching textbook magic."

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"Severus Snape." Lupin said a little more seriously.

Hermione spent the rest of the night deep in thought. As the evening winded down Gienah kissed Cedric goodbye they retired to the bedrooms they had dressed in, with Lyra in her arms. The next morning she and Lyra got lost looking for the dining room.

"Finally decided on making an appearance?" Sirius said loudly as she entered.

"Oh shh" Narcissa said, pressing her hand to her head.

Sirius chuckled.

"You three need to pack for your train tomorrow." Sirius said. Harry and Draco were dressed and eating their breakfast as she and Lyra sat down and looked wondrously at the spread before them.

Gienah nodded, spreading liberal amounts of butter on her toast. After breakfast the three of them returned to their homes. The house was quiet without the adults as they finished their packing and Gienah cooked lunch and then dinner with Harry's help.

They sat down for dinner late in the evening, enjoying the fruit salad Harry had prepared with some homemade ice cream.

"I almost dread what'll happen this year." Gienah said.

"It feels like a storm is brewing." Harry said thoughtfully. "Wormtail, Bertha Jenkin's disappearance, the dark mark..."

"Until the dark lord is truly dead and gone, this confrontation would always be inevitable." Gienah said. "Lets kill him sooner than later is all I can say."

"I'll drink to that." Harry said grimly.

The next day Sirius waved them off at the station. It was a wet afternoon. Gienah spent most of the journey drifting between sleeping and daydreaming. The rain became heavier and heavier as the train moved farther north. The sky was so dark and the windows so steamy that the lanterns were lit by midday. The lunch trolley came rattling along the corridor, and Harry bought a large stack of Cauldron Cakes for them to share.

Several of their friends looked in on them as the afternoon progressed, including Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom.

Neville listened jealously to the others' conversation as they relived the Cup match.

"Gran didn't want to go," he said miserably. "Wouldn't buy tickets. It sounded amazing though."

"It was," said Ron. "Look at this, Neville..."

He rummaged in his trunk up in the luggage rack and pulled out the miniature figure of Viktor Krum.

"Oh wow," said Neville enviously as Ron tipped Krum onto his pudgy hand.

"We saw him right up close, as well," said Ron. "We were in the Top Box -"

"I suppose the shock almost killed you, Weasley."

Draco Malfoy had appeared in the doorway. Behind him stood Crabbe and Goyle, his enormous, thuggish cronies, both of whom appeared to have grown at least a foot during the summer. Evidently they had overheard the conversation through the compartment door, which Dean and Seamus had left ajar.

"Behave" said Gienah coolly.

"Weasley...what is that?" said Malfoy, pointing at Pigwidgeon's cage. A sleeve of Ron's dress robes was dangling from it, swaying with the motion of the train, the moldy lace cuff very obvious.

Ron made to stuff the robes out of sight, but Malfoy was too quick for him; he seized the sleeve and pulled.

"Weasley, you weren't thinking of wearing these, were you? I mean - they were very fashionable in about eighteen ninety..."

"Eat dung, Malfoy!" said Ron, the same color as the dress robes as he snatched them back out of Malfoy's grip.

"So...going to enter, Weasley? Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name?"

"What are you talking about?" snapped Ron.

"Are you going to enter?" Malfoy repeated. "I suppose you will, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off, do you?"

"Either explain what you're on about or go away, Malfoy," said Hermione testily, over the top of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4.

A gleeful smile spread across Malfoy's pale face

"Don't tell me you don't know?" he said delightedly. "You've got a father and brother at the Ministry and you don't even know? My God, my father told me about it ages ago...heard it from Cornelius Fudge."

"Malfoy" Gienah warned.

Malfoy winked at her before walking out. Gienah stood up and followed him out.

"Malfoy" Gienah called after him. Draco turned and waved Crabbe and Goyle away as he walked towards her.

"Are you telling me you're going to go back to being a complete arsehole?" Gienah said, her arms folded.

"I have a reputation to uphold." Malfoy shrugged. "Besides, it's fun riling you up."

With that Malfoy left. Vanajakshi hissed after him and Gienah returned to the compartment and slammed the sliding door so hard behind them that the glass shattered.

"Gienah!" said Hermione reproachfully, and she pulled out her wand, muttered "Reparo!" and the glass shards flew back into a single pane and back into the door.

"Well...making it look like he knows everything and we don't..." Ron snarled. "'Dad could've got a promotion any time...he just likes it where he is..."

"Of course he does," said Hermione quietly. "Don't let Malfoy get to you, Ron -"

"Him! Get to me!? As if!" said Ron, picking up one of the remaining Cauldron Cakes and squashing it into a pulp.

Ron's bad mood continued for the rest of the journey. He didn't talk much as they changed into their school robes, and was still glowering when the Hogwarts Express slowed down at last and finally stopped in the pitch-darkness of Hogsmeade station.

As the train doors opened, there was a rumble of thunder overhead. Vanajakshi retreated into Gienah's sleeve, Hermione bundled up Crookshanks in her cloak and Ron left his dress robes over Pigwidgeon as they left the train, heads bent and eyes narrowed against the downpour. Hermes flew off towards the castle and Gienah wished she could follow him. The rain was now coming down so thick and fast that it was as though buckets of ice-cold water were being emptied repeatedly over their heads.

"Oooh, I wouldn't fancy crossing the lake in this weather," said Hermione fervently, shivering as they inched slowly along the dark platform with the rest of the crowd. A hundred horseless carriages stood waiting for them outside the station. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville climbed gratefully into one of them, the door shut with a snap, and a few moments later, with a great lurch, the long procession of carriages was rumbling and splashing its way up the track toward Hogwarts Castle.


	33. The Triwizard Tournament

Chapter Thirty-Seven: **The Triwizard Tournament**

Through the gates, flanked with statues of winged boars, and up the sweeping drive the carriages trundled, swaying dangerously in what was fast becoming a gale. Leaning against the window, Gienah could see Hogwarts coming nearer, its many lighted windows blurred and shimmering behind the thick curtain of rain. Lightning flashed across the sky as their carriage came to a halt before the great oak front doors, which stood at the top of a flight of stone steps. Gienah, Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Luna jumped down from their carriage and dashed up the steps too.

As they stood out in the freezing cold, waiting for the crown to move, Peeves appeared. Harry groaned. He was throwing water bombs on the top of the students heads. Ron got hit and was glaring at the troublesome ghost.

"Don't get mad, get even." Gienah smiled sweetly as she twirled her wand and gathered the rain into a swirling tornado and pointed sharply at Peeve's who spluttered, blinded and encaged in the water prison.

Gienah swore Professor McGonagall flashed a smile at her as the poltergeist was chased away into the dark night.

"Well, move along, then!" said Professor McGonagall sharply to the bedraggled crowd. "Into the Great Hall, come on!"

Gienah slipped and slid across the entrance hall and through the double doors on the right, Ron muttering furiously under his breath as he pushed his sopping hair off his face.

The Great Hall looked its usual splendid self, decorated for the start-of-term feast. It was much warmer in here. Gienah walked past the Slytherins, the Ravenclaws, and the Hufflepuffs, and sat down with the rest of the Gryffindors at the far side of the Hall, next to Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost.

"Good evening," he said, beaming at them.

"Says who?" said Harry, taking off his sneakers and emptying them of water. "Hope they hurry up with the Sorting. I'm starving."

"Where's Professor Ambrogio?" said Hermione, who was also looking up at the teachers.

"Looks like there is a curse on the position" Gienah sighed. She rather liked the vampire.

"Maybe they couldn't get anyone!" said Hermione, looking anxious.

"Oh hurry up," Ron moaned, beside Harry, "I could eat a hippogriff."

The words were no sooner out of his mouth than the doors of the Great Hall opened and silence fell. Professor McGonagall was leading a long line of first years up to the top of the Hall. Professor McGonagall now placed a three-legged stool on the ground before the first years and, on top of it, an extremely old, dirty patched wizard's hat. The first years stared at it. So did everyone else. For a moment, there was silence. Then a long tear near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat broke into song:

A thousand years or more ago,

When I was newly sewn,There lived four wizards of renown,

Whose names are still well known:

Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,

Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,

Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,

Shrewd Slytherin, from fin.

They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,

They hatched a daring plan

To educate young sorcerers

Thus Hogwarts School began.

Now each of these four founders

Formed their own house, for each

Did value different virtues

In the ones they had to teach.

By Gryffindor, the bravest were

Prized far beyond the rest;

For Ravenclaw, the cleverest

Would always be the best;

For Hufflepuff, hard workers were

Most worthy of admission;

And power-hungry Slytherin

Loved those of great ambition.

While still alive they did divide

Their favorites from the throng,

Yet how to pick the worthy ones

When they were dead and gone?

Twas Gryffindor who found the way,

He whipped me off his head

The founders put some brains in me

So I could choose instead!

Now slip me snug about your ears,

I've never yet been wrong,

I'll have a look inside your mind

And tell where you belong!

"That's not the song it sang when it Sorted us," said Harry, clapping along with everyone else.

"Sings a different one every year," said Ron. "It's got to be a pretty boring life, hasn't it, being a hat? I suppose it spends all year making up the next one."

The ceremony began with much cheering. Colin Creevey's brother joined Gryffindor and gawked at Harry. Gienah rolled her eyes.

"Oh hurry up," Ron moaned, massaging his stomach.

"Now, Ron, the Sorting's much more important than food," said Nearly Headless Nick as "Madley, Laura!" became a Hufflepuff.

"Course it is, if you're dead," snapped Ron.

And finally, with "Whitby, Kevin!" ("HUFFLEPUFF!"), the Sorting ended. Professor McGonagall picked up the hat and the stool and carried them away.

"About time," said Ron, seizing his knife and fork and looking expectantly at his golden plate.

Professor Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was smiling around at the students, his arms opened wide in welcome.

"I have only two words to say to you," he told them, his deep voice echoing around the Hall. "Tuck in."

The rain was still drumming heavily against the high, dark glass. Another clap of thunder shook the windows, and the stormy ceiling flashed, illuminating the golden plates as the remains of the first course vanished and were replaced, instantly, with puddings.

When the puddings too had been demolished, and the last crumbs had faded off the plates, leaving them sparkling clean, Albus Dumbledore got to his feet again. The buzz of chatter filling the Hall ceased almost at once, so that only the howling wind and pounding rain could be heard.

"So!" said Dumbledore, smiling around at them all. "Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices.

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it."

The corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched. He continued, "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year.

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

"What?" Gienah gasped. She looked around at Fred and George. They were mouthing soundlessly at Dumbledore, apparently too appalled to speak. Dumbledore went on, "This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts -"

But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall banged open.

A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black traveling cloak. Every head in the Great Hall swiveled toward the stranger, suddenly brightly illuminated by a fork of lightning that flashed across the ceiling. He lowered his hood, shook out a long mane of grizzled, dark gray hair, then began to walk up toward the teachers' table.

A dull clunk echoed through the Hall on his every other step. He reached the end of the top table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling. Hermione gasped.

The lightning had thrown the man's face into sharp relief, and it was a face unlike any Harry had ever looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like, and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening.

One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye - and then it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head, so that all they could see was whiteness.

The stranger reached Dumbledore. He stretched out a hand that was as badly scarred as his face, and Dumbhedore shook it, muttering words Gienah couldn't hear. He seemed to be making some inquiry of the stranger, who shook his head unsmilingly and replied in an undertone. Dumbledore nodded and gestured the man to the empty seat on his right-hand side.

The stranger sat down, shook his mane of dark gray hair out of his face, pulled a plate of sausages toward him, raised it to what was left of his nose, and sniffed it. He then took a small knife out of his pocket, speared a sausage on the end of it, and began to eat. His normal eye was fixed upon the sausages, but the blue eye was still darting restlessly around in its socket, taking in the Hall and the students.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore brightly into the silence. "Professor Moody."

Gienah clapped enthusiastically, but she was the only one. Everyone else continued to stare. Gienah waved at him cheerfully to Dumbledore's amusement. Moody nodded in response.

Moody seemed totally indifferent to his less-than-warm welcome. Ignoring the jug of pumpkin juice in front of him, he reached again into his traveling cloak, pulled out a hip flask, and took a long draught from it. As he lifted his arm to drink, his cloak was pulled a few inches from the ground, and Gienah saw, below the table, several inches of carved wooden leg, ending in a clawed foot.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As I was saying," he said, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, "we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley loudly.

The tension that had filled the Hall ever since Moody's arrival suddenly broke. Nearly everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively.

"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley," he said, "though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Er - but maybe this is not the time...no..." said Dumbledore, "where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament...well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely.

"The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities - until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."

"Death toll?" Hermione whispered, looking alarmed.

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament," Dumbledore continued, "none of which has been very successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger.

"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."

"I'm going for it!" Fred Weasley hissed down the table, his face lit with enthusiasm at the prospect of such glory and riches.

"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," he said, "the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age - that is to say, seventeen years or older - will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This -" Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, and the Weasley twins were suddenly looking furious - "is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion." His light blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over Fred's and George's mutinous faces. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen.

"The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"

"They can't do that!" said George Weasley, who had not joined the crowd moving toward the door, but was standing up and glaring at Dumbledore. "We're seventeen in April, why can't we have a shot?"

"They're not stopping me entering," said Fred stubbornly, also scowling at the top table. "The champions'll get to do all sorts of stuff you'd never be allowed to do normally. And a thousand Galleons prize money!"

They all set off for the entrance hall, Fred and George debating the ways in which Dumbledore might stop those who were under seventeen from entering the tournament.

A crackling fire warmed the circular common room, which was full of squashy armchairs and tables. As inviting as the scene looked Gienah dragged herself to her warm bed.

The storm had blown itself out by the following morning, though the ceiling in the Great Hall was still gloomy; heavy clouds of pewter gray swirled overhead as Gienah examined her new course schedules at breakfast.

There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. A large tawny owl soared down to Neville Longbottom and deposited a parcel into his lap - Neville almost always forgot to pack something. Hermes and Hedwig soared down to drop parcels for both Gienah and Harry.

"Ella's in hospital!" Gienah said to Harry. "She isn't due for another three weeks at least."

"Loads of new mothers deal with early contractions" Hermione soothed her.

"They had barely begun their honeymoon." Gienah frowned.

Harry had received half a tier of wedding cake in his package, which they had a little after their breakfast.

Their first day went quickly. Hagrid had cross bred magical creatures and called the end result blast-ended skrewts. Gienah was fascinated by the creatures and wondered what other creatures were compatible to cross fertilization. But in the end she had to agree with Hermione. They weren't particularly intelligent, only violent.

After muggle studies Gienah went to write a letter to Sirius and Lupin. She returned to dinner to see Hermione clear her plates in five minutes before running to the library. No sooner had she gone than her seat was taken by Fred Weasley.

"Moody!" he said. "How cool is he?"

"Beyond cool," said George, sitting down opposite Fred.

"Supercool," said the twins' best friend, Lee Jordan, sliding into the seat beside George. "We had him this afternoon.

"What was it like?" said Harry eagerly.

Fred, George, and Lee exchanged looks full of meaning.

"Never had a lesson like it," said Fred.

"He knows, man," said Lee.

"Knows what?" said Ron, leaning forward.

"Knows what it's like to be out there doing it," said George impressively.

"Doing what?" said Gienah.

"Fighting the Dark Arts," said Fred.

"He's seen it all," said George.

"'Mazing," said Lee.

Ron dived into his bag for his schedule.

"We haven't got him till Thursday!" he said in a disappointed voice.

The next two days passed without great incident, unless you counted Neville melting his sixth cauldron in Potions. Professor Snape, who seemed to have attained new levels of vindictiveness over the summer, gave Neville detention, and Neville returned from it in a state of nervous collapse, having been made to disembowel a barrel full of horned toads.

Gienah wasn't paying much attention worrying about Bellatrix's early hospitalization. As Snape passed he sneered at her.

"Detention for substandard brewing." Snape said walking past Harry and Ron's cauldrons which wasn't even the right colour let alone the right shade.

"I suppose you are normally the most proficient." Hermione shrugged.

That evening after dinner Gienah walked to the dungeons following the crowd of Slytherin's. Malfoy saw her and lagged behind to speak to her.

"Mother sent me an owl. She's with her at the hospital." Draco said.

Gienah sighed.

"It'll be fine Black." Draco said, placing a hand on her arm before walking into his common room.

Gienah knocked on Snape's office door.

"Enter"

Gienah walked into the familiar stuffy office with its shelves filled with jars.

"Substandard?" Gienah sighed, dumping her bag by the chair. "Really?"

"Tell me Gienah, have you noticed how many direct descendents of Black there are?"

"I'm the only one."

"And who follow you in succession to the lordship?"

"I suppose Dora."

"Continue."

"Urm. Draco, Lyra, Ara."

"Four females to one male." Snape said. "And now another Black descendent is being born who also happens to be female."

"What has that got to do with anything?" Gienah said impatiently.

"Andromeda, Narcissa and Bellatrix have borne females late in their years Black. And all three girls take after you."

"No, they take after Sirius, they take after Walburga, they take after Arcturus."

Snape sighed.

"The Black family tree has never been so fertile. Five female births in less than two decades?"

"What are you saying professor?"

"You have caused their births. Nymphadora, the only older female, does not take after you. The rest look remarkably like you, but with grey eyes. They all have the name Elladora."

"You don't mean to say…" Gienah began.

"They are Nagual."

Gienah froze.

"You have re-established the Nagual line. You are their true mother. It is what the legends have only but guessed. I firmly believe all three have your rare ability."

"But Nymphadora." Gienah said anxiously. "She's a metamorphmagus."

"But not Nagual." Snape finally leaned back into his chair. "The genes may remain dormant for some time. Lily Potter must have triggered something, and here you are."

"But what does it all mean?" Gienah said, now pacing on the floor of his office.

"The Nagual race lives on. They pose the greatest threat against wizarding kind. The hierarchy has a new Queen." Snape said quietly.

"No!" Gienah cried. "But they'll kill me! They'll kill us all. Isn't that how we became extinct in the first place?"

"Perhaps the wizarding world has moved on. We no longer live in the middle ages."

"Hello!" Gienah said frantically. "Voldemort anyone?"

"There is another prophecy." Snape confessed.

"You must be joking!" Gienah held the bridge of her nose.

Snape summoned his pensieve, extracted a string of silver with his wand and placed it in the pool of clear water. From it Trelawney spoke, her mystical voice filling the room and it wasn't her usual voice. Her voice did not shake or falter. She spoke with an apparent wisdom of the seeing eye.

" _Another is born as the ninth month dawns, third to complete the fatherless three, child not to the vessel that births her. The true mother will rise and the father will fall. The world will burn at her feet, and from the ashes the dawning of a new age. The men will bow down to their new queen. The goblins will kneel. The centaurs will hail. The age of Nagual is near."_

"Trelawney made the prophecy last Christmas. I did not want to alarm you until I was sure. Bellatrix just had a baby girl. How could she had known the baby was being conceived that night?"

Gienah laughed hysterically.

"I'm not a queen!"

"But you are" Snape said quietly. "You are born for greatness. It is in your blood. It is your duty to your kin."

"Well then" Gienah scoffed. "Where is my crown? Where are my subjects? My palace?"

"Rome wasn't built in a day." Snape said simply. "Before your time comes, another must fall. Your half-brother is fated to battle with the dark lord. Then you will truly be queen."

"But Lyra, Ara... They're children." Gienah said.

"We were all children once. They will not bear arms today but soon. I do not know this magic but it seems instinctual. The mothers see the children and wish to procreate."

"There will be more?" Gienah asked.

"I believe both Narcissa and Andromeda are with child once more. I also have been told in confidence that your father has become intimate with Ms. Malfoy."

"But, what does this mean? That they are unnatural births, unwanted?" Gienah said, her throat feeling incredibly dry.

"No, of course not. Most likely that the Nagual vessels are extremely fertile. It is likely that with the threat of extinction, the more potent the egg and the sperm."

"Lovely" Gienah said tightly.

"It's actually history in the making." Snape said quietly. His eyes glistening with excitement. "The genealogy of the wizarding race is changing rapidly. The Malfoys have already been infected."

"But what can I do?" Gienah asked with frustration.

"You must be prepared to run an empire." Snape said.

"Well, I'll just get to the library. Read a few books on taking over the world."

"I suggest Machiavelli." Snape said seriously. "You will keep taking your lessons in Dark Arts and now more than ever you must learn to control your particular gifts. Practice the art. Do not become predictable in your creatures. Consider the many gifts various magical creatures possess. Utilize them, isolate them."

Gienah left the dungeons feeling a little light headed.

 _Dear Gienah and Harry,_

 _Our daughter was born yesterday evening at seven past six. She is absolutely beautiful. Healthy despite arriving two weeks early. We have named her Mira Elladora Black. Attached is a photo of your sister. We returned from the hospital this morning. Bella is exhausted but she is a natural. Alyssandra has been wonderful help, though I suspect she has an ulterior reason for spending so much time at the cottage. I have no idea why they insist keeping their relationship a secret._

 _Mira looks so much like you did Gienah, but her eyes are grey._

 _Love,_

 _Your father_

The Gryffindor fourth years were looking forward to Moody's first lesson so much that they arrived early on Thursday lunchtime and queued up outside his classroom before the bell had even rung. The only person missing was Hermione, who turned up just in time for the lesson.

"Been in the -"

"Library." Harry finished her sentence for her. "C'mon, quick, or we won't get decent seats."

They hurried into four chairs right in front of the teacher's desk, took out their copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, and waited, unusually quiet. Soon they heard Moody's distinctive clunking footsteps coming down the corridor, and he entered the room, looking as strange and frightening as ever. They could just see his clawed, wooden foot protruding from underneath his robes.

"You can put those away," he growled, stumping over to his desk and sitting down, "those books. You won't need them."

They returned the books to their bags, Ron looking excited.

"Right then," he said, "I've had a letter from Professor Ambrogio about this class. Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures - you've covered boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that right?"

There was a general murmur of assent.

"But you're behind - very behind - on dealing with curses," said Moody. "So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark -"

"What, aren't you staying?" Ron blurted out.

Moody's magical eye spun around to stare at Ron; Ron looked extremely apprehensive, but after a moment Moody smiled. The effect was to make his heavily scarred face look more twisted and contorted than ever, but it was nevertheless good to know that he ever did anything as friendly as smile. Ron looked deeply relieved.

"You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh?" Moody said. "Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago...Yeah, I'm staying just the one year. Special favor to Dumbledore...One year, and then back to my quiet retirement."

He gave a harsh laugh, and then clapped his gnarled hands together.

"So - straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you counter curses and leave it at that. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking."

Lavender jumped and blushed. She had been showing Parvati her completed horoscope under the desk. Apparently Moody's magical eye could see through solid wood, as well as out of the back of his head.

"So...do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?"

Several hands rose tentatively into the air, including Ron's and Hermione's. Moody pointed at Ron, though his magical eye was still fixed on Lavender.

"Er," said Ron tentatively, "my dad told me about one...Is it called the Imperius Curse, or something?"

"Ah, yes," said Moody appreciatively. "Your father would know that one. Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse."

Moody got heavily to his mismatched feet, opened his desk drawer, and took out a glass jar. Three large black spiders were scuttling around inside it. Gienah felt Ron recoil slightly next to him - Ron hated spiders.

Moody reached into the jar, caught one of the spiders, and held it in the palm of his hand so that they could all see it. He then pointed his wand at it and muttered, "Imperio!"

The spider leapt from Moody's hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing backward and forward as though on a trapeze. It stretched out its legs rigidly, then did a back flip, breaking the thread and landing on the desk, where it began to cartwheel in circles. Moody jerked his wand, and the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into what was unmistakably a tap dance.

Everyone was laughing - everyone except Gienah and Moody.

"Think it's funny, do you?" he growled. "You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?"

The laughter died away almost instantly.

"Total control," said Moody quietly as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats..."

Ron gave an involuntary shudder.

"Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse," said Moody, and Gienah knew she was talking about the days in which Voldemort had been all-powerful. "Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will.

"The Imperius Curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he barked, and everyone jumped.

Moody picked up the somersaulting spider and threw it back into the jar.

"Anyone else know one? Another illegal curse?"

Hermione's hand flew into the air again and so, to Gienah's slight surprise, did Neville's.

"Yes?" said Moody, his magical eye rolling right over to fix on Neville.

"There's one - the Cruciatus Curse," said Neville in a small but distinct voice.

Moody was looking very intently at Neville, this time with both eyes.

"Your name's Longbottom?" he said, his magical eye swooping down to check the register again.

Neville nodded nervously, but Moody made no further inquiries. Turning back to the class at large, he reached into the jar for the next spider and placed it upon the desktop, where it remained motionless, apparently too scared to move.

"The Cruciatus Curse," said Moody. "Needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea," he said, pointing his wand at the spider. "Engorgio!"

The spider swelled. It was now larger than a tarantula. Abandoning all pretense, Ron pushed his chair backward, as far away from Moody's desk as possible.

Moody raised his wand again, pointed it at the spider, and muttered, "Crucio!"

At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but Gienah was sure that if it could have given voice, it would have been screaming. Moody did not remove his wand, and the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently -

"Stop it!" Hermione said shrilly."

Gienah looked around at her. She was looking, not at the spider, but at Neville, and Gienah, following her gaze, saw that Neville's hands were clenched upon the desk in front of him, his knuckles white, his eyes wide and horrified.

Moody raised his wand. The spider's legs relaxed, but it continued to twitch.

"Pain," said Moody softly. "You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse...That one was very popular once too.

"Right...anyone know any others?"

Hermione's hand shook slightly as, for the third time, she raised it into the air.

"Yes?" said Moody, looking at her.

"Avada Kedavra," Hermione whispered.

"Ah," said Moody, another slight smile twisting his lopsided mouth. "Yes, the last and worst. Avada Kedavra...the Killing Curse."

He put his hand into the glass jar, and almost as though it knew what was coming, the third spider scuttled frantically around the bottom of the jar, trying to evade Moody's fingers, but he trapped it, and placed it upon the desktop. It started to scuttle frantically across the wooden surface.

"Avada Kedavra!" Moody roared.

There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air - instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead. Several of the students stifled cries; Ron had thrown himself backward and almost toppled off his seat as the spider skidded toward him.

Moody swept the dead spider off the desk onto the floor.

"Not nice," he said calmly. "Not pleasant. And there's no countercurse. There's no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me."

Gienah looked nervously at Harry. He had gone pale.

"Avada Kedavra's a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it - you could all get your wands out now and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed. But that doesn't matter. I'm not here to teach you how to do it.

"Now, if there's no countercurse, why am I showing you? Because you've got to know. You've got to appreciate what the worst is. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you're facing it. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he roared, and the whole class jumped again.

They spent the rest of the lesson taking notes on each of the Unforgivable Curses. No one spoke until the bell rang - but when Moody had dismissed them and they had left the classroom, a torrent of talk burst forth. Most people were discussing the curses in awed voices - "Did you see it twitch?" "- and when he killed it - just like that!"

Gienah ran out of the door after Neville. Neville was standing alone, halfway up the passage, staring at the stone wall opposite him with the same horrified, wide-eyed look he had worn when Moody had demonstrated the Cruciatus Curse.

"Neville?" Gienah said gently.

Neville looked around.

"Oh hello," he said, his voice much higher than usual. "Interesting lesson, wasn't it? I wonder what's for dinner, I'm - I'm starving, aren't you?"

"Gienah, are you alright?" Gienah could have slapped herself, of course he wasn't.

"Oh yes, I'm fine," Neville gabbled in the same unnaturally high voice. "Very interesting dinner - I mean lesson - what's for eating?"

Ron gave Harry a startled look.

"Neville, what -?"

But an odd clunking noise sounded behind them, and they turned to see Professor Moody limping toward them. All five of them fell silent, watching him apprehensively, but when he spoke, it was in a much lower and gentler growl than they had yet heard.

"It's all right, sonny," he said to Neville. "Why don't you come up to my office? Come on...we can have a cup of tea..."

Neville looked even more frightened at the prospect of tea with Moody. He neither moved nor spoke. Moody turned his magical eye upon Harry.

"You all right, are you, Black?"

"You knew." Giena said in an accusing voice.

Moody's blue eye quivered slightly in its socket as it surveyed Gienah. Then he said, "You've got to know. It seems harsh, maybe, but you've got to know. No point pretending...well...come on, Longbottom, I've got some books that might interest you."

Neville looked pleadingly at Gienah. But they didn't say anything, so Neville had no choice but to allow himself to be steered away, one of Moody's gnarled hands on his shoulder.

Both Gienah and Hermione did not join in with Harry and Ron's conversation during dinner, but ate furiously fast, and then left for the library.

It was almost midnight when she looked up from The Prince. Gienah yawned and began to make her way to the exit, thinking about what to get for Cedric's birthday. Then she saw a light coming from the corner of the library. Gienah walked towards the light and behind the bookcase she saw Draco Malfoy.

"Hello." Gienah said.

"Hello." Draco replied.

"Bit early for late night studying isn't it?" Gienah asked, looking curiously at his notes before him and the pile of books.

"Says you." Draco said.

"Hmm, but this is what I do."

Draco didn't reply.

"Mira was born yesterday." Gienah said, reaching for the picture in her pocket and showed it to him.

"She looks exactly like Ara." Draco said softly.

Gienah laughed nervously.

"Mothers pregnant again." Draco said. "Don't tell anyone. She thinks it's too good to be true."

Gienah felt her heart quicken.

"How many months?" Gienah asked.

"Four or five." Draco said.

"How do you feel about that?"

Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Well I don't know doc." Draco said sarcastically.

Gienah pushed him lightly on the shoulder.

"I've never seen my parents happier and Ara will have someone to play with so I guess I'm happy for them. I had become used to being the only child and now, everything is changing. But in a good way."

Gienah nodded.

"Well, good night." Gienah said.

Early next morning, Gienah woke up, dressed in the pale dawn light, left the dormitory without waking Hermione, and went back down to the deserted common room. She read a little more of The Prince and walked down to breakfast with her mind swirling with the strategic advantages of alliance and a strong military.

During breakfast Gienah received a letter from Tonks. Gienah opened the letter with curiosity.

 _Dear Genna,_

 _I don't want you to be angry for not having told you sooner, but I haven't told anyone. I had a baby last night. I've named her Cassiopeia. She's Charlie's but her natural form is black hair and grey eyes. She looks exactly like Lyra and Ara. The Black gene must be pretty dominant huh. Sorry, I'm blabbing. No one knows. Not even Charlie. I didn't know till two months ago. My metamorphous state managed to conceal it when I thought I was gaining a few pounds. I don't know what to do. I've closed off my floo connection and haven't seen anyone since the wedding. I know I need to tell him, but I don't want to do it alone. Is there any way you could come and see me soon? I know you might be coming to see Mira, otherwise I wouldn't ask._

 _Love,_

 _Tonks_

Gienah just gaped at the letter for a few seconds. She looked around. There were a few students from Ravenclaw around. Gienah looked to the staff table and saw Snape had just taken his seat. Gienah walked towards him.

"May I have a word professor?" Gienah asked, forcing her voice to remain calm.

"Nymphadora Tonks has just had a daughter." Gienah squeaked. They stood in a room behind the staff table.

"Congratulations." Snape drawled. "I'm not sure why you are telling me Black."

"She's Nagual" Gienah said in a panic. "Charlie Weasley's daughter, not that he has a clue, but dark haired, grey eyes. Someone is going to notice. They will suspect dark magic!"

Snape paused.

"That is a valid concern. I'm impressed." Snape said. "But they will not suspect it is a Nagual gene. Not unless they also know all of your children can shapeshift. I believe the time is approaching where you tell the parents of the Nagual your true identity."

"I can't do that. Ha! Imagine Narcissa's face when she sees she is referred to as merely the vessel." Gienah said.

"You may not like it, but it is your responsibility. They must remain secret until you are ready, and your children are ready." Snape said before leaving her to her thoughts.

Gienah returned to breakfast just as students were coming down. She grabbed her fur cloak and marauder's map and went to the One-Eyed Witch Passage on the third floor. She had never skipped a lesson without permission before but this was no time for rule abiding. Gienah went into the Three Broomsticks and flooed to The Leaky Cauldron. Waving to Tom she left the inn and walked into Diagon Alley. She brought a box of chocolates and a stuffed dragon. Gienah turned into a dark alleyway and took to the skies. Gienah had never been to Tonks place before though she knew she lived by the canal on Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green. Gienah found a few redbricks houses right by the canal and descended upon the one right on the end. 9 Sewardstone Road. Gienah fell right into the balcony and walked in the open door.

"Tonks!" Gienah called as she stepped through the cluttered bedroom. There was a little cot in the corner.

Gienah walked through a light corridor when she felt a wand poking her in the back. Gienah sighed. What idiot came straight into an Auror's house?

"My name is Gienah Elladora Black, daughter of Lily Potter and Sirius Orion Black. We played together as children and once you convinced me to eat a mudcake saying it was chocolate." Gienah said all in one breath. Then she felt her ribs crushing as Tonks hugged her from behind and by the wetness on her shoulder, she was sobbing.

"Hey, hey" Gienah said softly.

"Who gets pregnant at twenty one?" Tonks said, shaking her head. "Who doesn't tell their boyfriend?"

Gienah walked her into the kitchen and put the kettle on.

"Can I see her?"

"She's sleeping in the living room." Tonks walked out of the small kitchen and walked into an open living area where a baby slept in the corner of the sofa. She was so small.

"I have no idea how to take care of a baby." Tonks said, looking at the little thing.

Gienah knelt down beside Cassiopeia and looked wondrously at the girl who looked so much like Ara and Lyra.

"You should not have done this alone." Gienah said with a sigh.

"I don't know what I was thinking. What with mum pregnant again, I felt more of an idiot for letting it happen. We have always been safe. I don't know how it happened."

"Your mum's pregnant?" Gienah almost yelled.

"She's due in two months." Tonks said, sitting down.

"Right" Gienah said, gently placing little Cassiopeia in her arms. "We're going to see Charlie. You can't raise her alone. Not when you know Charlie would never abandon you."

"But-"

Gienah was already standing in the fireplace.

"Fine" Tonks said in a high pitched voice. She grabbed a baby bag and followed Gienah through to the Lupin Cottage.

"Gienah?" Alyssandra came through the kitchen and stared at her and the baby in her arms. "Mira?"

Gienah was tempted to laugh and say no, just another one of my Nagual children.

"No.. I'll explain later. I need to find Charlie."

Tonks came through and followed her out of the kitchen and they briskly made their way to the safari, following the well tread path. Twenty minutes later they arrived at the camp.

"Gienah?" Sirius was walking past her when he did a double take. "What are you doing here?! You could have at least waited for the weekend!"

"Later!" Gienah shouted. "Honestly... "

She walked into the camp and headed to the canteen. Charlie wasn't there. Gienah groaned and walked back out and followed the path to the reserve. Tonks was silent. As they approached the clearing Gienah called his name. Charlie came running and stared for a good minute.

"We need to talk." Tonks said, looking at the grass.

"You need to not freak out." Gienah said gently. "This your daughter."

Charlie just stared again.

"I beg your pardon?" He croaked.

"This is Cassopeia Elladora Weasley." Tonks said clearly.

Gienah passed him his daughter.

"She's mine?" Charlie said dryly, looking at the tiny bundle in his arms. "She looks nothing like me."

"Excuse me?" Tonks suddenly sounded venemous.

Charlie chuckled.

"I've got no issue with that. Enough red hair in the family as it is." Charlie held her up so her face was in front of his. She opened her eyes and blinked at her father.

"She looks like Mira" Charlie said in the same tone Draco had spoken to her the night before. "But how- we- you didn't-"

"I don't know how, I found out two months ago and I didn't tell you because I never planned on having children for a good ten years and debated putting her in an orphanage but remembered how Gienah felt towards Lily and I never wanted to be that mother." Tonks said it all at once, without taking a breath. "I also knew you would hate me if I never told you. And well, I love you, and I'm hoping you want to give this a go because-"

Charlie was kissing her softly and shut her up effectively. Gienah smiled.

"I have a daughter." Charlie said with tears in his eyes. "Mum's going to go ballistic. Her first granddaughter. Bloody hell."

"Shit." Tonks made a face.

"Good luck" Gienah laughed.

The four of them made their way back to the cottage and told everyone the news. Bellatrix came down and placed Mira next to Cassiopeia and then swapped them around and then placed both in her arms.

"Did you steal my twin daughter?" Bellatrix asked.

Everyone else were too busy staring.

"She looks like Ara as well." Alyssandra said with wonder.

"This isn't a coincidence." Sirius said. His eyes had darkened.

Gienah coughed nervously.

"Gienah" Sirius said warningly.

"I think we need to call a family meeting" Gienah said in a small voice.

"Family?" Sirius said. "What, Remus and Harry?"

"Urm, no. I'm referring to the Elladora's." Gienah whispered.

"Elladora…" Sirius said softly. "They're all called Elladora. Elladora Black."

"What is going on here?" Bellatrix said with a note of panic.

"I'll explain. You will need to speak to Professor Snape. And we need to speak to Narcissa and Andromeda. Alyssandra, I'm sorry, you will need to leave. This is a family matter which requires absolute confidentiality."

Sirius coughed, much in the same manner Gienah had. Alyssandra flushed.

"I proposed to Alyssandra last night." Sirius confessed, looking at Gienah nervously. "I wanted to ask you but it kind of slipped out and she said yes and I don't even have a ring yet, I-"

Gienah hugged Sirius.

"Finally!"

She then hugged Alyssandra.

"Welcome to the family." Gienah grinned.

In the next few hours many letters were sent and when Remus came home he also stared at Cassiopeia before making a limp joke about placing a barcode on them. At eight in the evening the living room was filled with worried parents and Severus Snape.

"Sorry to call you so abruptly and thank you for coming at such short notice." Gienah began nervously, looking at Snape who nodded for her to continue. "Some of you know what I can do but very few know what I am. After I have told you what needs to be said you will need to make an oath to never reveal what you know without express permission by either myself or Professor Snape. Of course amongst each other you may speak in privacy and your children will be able to grant you permission in the future."

Gienah then closed her eyes and turned into an eagle, and then a sparrow, then a vampire, then a veela, before returning to her natural form. Several people gasped.

"I am Nagual" Gienah finally said, her voice now a little more confident. "The first of my kind for centuries. I am what some call the true mother of all that come after me. The birth of a Nagual Queen triggers the birth of others of her kind."

Narcissa was shaking her head.

Andromeda seemed to nod with understanding.

Sirius seemed fearful.

"What more there has been a prophecy made last December which foretells the age of the Nagual. Professor?"

"Another is born as the ninth month dawns, third to complete the fatherless three, child not to the vessel that births her. The true mother will rise and the father will fall. The world will burn at her feet, and from the ashes the dawning of a new age. The men will bow to their queen. The goblins will kneel. The centaurs will hail. The age of Nagual is near."

"But this can't be true." Narcissa said, shaking. "Ara is not this creature you speak of. There are dark things said about the Nagual."

"I wonder why" Sirius said. "When they are most possibly the most dangerous creatures on this earth and the biggest threat to our kind."

"Lyra has the same gift" Andromeda spoke up in her defence.

"How else do you explain the sudden increase in births with those of Black blood?" Snape asked reasonably.

Narcissa remained tight lipped.

"Their likeness and the common name?" Snape continued. "Once the children begin exhibiting the same skills as Lyra and Gienah, there is absolutely no denying what they are Narcissa. And it is nothing to be ashamed of."

"They will be persecuted and killed" Narcissa said coldly. "My daughter will not suffer that fate."

"Nor mine" said five voices at once.

"What do we do now?" Tonks said.

"We must keep this secret. The likeness is much too suspicious." Snape said. "Once Narcissa, Andromeda and Bella have their next daughter's people will wonder and accuse you of dark magic."

"You are saying I will never have a son?" Bellatrix asked.

"I have nothing to work from" admitted Snape. "It appears the Nagual gene is overwhelming any other kind. Boys cannot be Nagual and so I believe it is unlikely, but not impossible."

Bellatrix nodded.

"The dark lord rises once more." Snape said. "Narcissa I know your husband seeks to rejoin our dark lord and if he is made aware of your daughters gift he risks the dark lord discovering the Ngual has returned. He may kill your daughter the way he killed Harry Potter."

Narcissa's eyes flashed.

"He must not know." Snape reiterated. "We must also place glamours on the children most removed from the Black family. Bellatrix, I understand this is a skill you have perfected."

Bellatrix nodded.

"I suggest the Weasley child to take after her father. Andromeda, Narcissa, Bellatrix your next child must have two feature changed. Whether it be eye colour or the shape of their nose. Two features to take after their father."

The four mothers nodded.

As the formal discussion ended, everyone broke out into conversation. By midnight only Bellatrix, Alyssandra and their respective halves remained.

"Gienah" Sirius said. "You can take the floo straight to Dumbledore's office. I told him you were eager to meet your sister so expect to be punished."

Gienah nodded reluctantly and flooed back to Hogwarts.

"Gienah" Dumbledore said from his armchair.

"Headmaster" Gienah said with a yawn.

"Barely a week has begun and already you have managed to break a serious school rule." Dumbledore's tone did not match his words. In fact, he was smiling.

"You will serve detention with Severus every Saturday night until Christmas. Please return to your dormitory." Dumbledore continued briskly.

Gienah wished him good night and returned to the tower only to be ambushed by Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"I'll tell you tomorrow" She said firmly, stifling another yawn and slept as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"Tonks had a baby with my brother!?" Ron said with his mouth full in breakfast the next morning. Ginny choked on her coffee, on the other end of the Gryffindor table and ran towards them and said "The fuck!"

She calmed them down and told them what Toks had told her.

"I'm an aunt!" Gienah did a little dance.

Ron looked a little green.

Their lessons were becoming more difficult and demanding than ever before, particularly Moody's Defense Against the Dark Arts. To their surprise, the next lesson Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects.

"But - but you said it's illegal, Professor," said Hermione uncertainly as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the room. "You said - to use it against another human was -"

"If you'd rather learn the hard way - when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely - fine by me. You're excused. Off you go."

He pointed one gnarled finger toward the door. Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave. Gienah and Ron grinned at each other. They knew Hermione would rather eat bubotuber pus than miss such an important lesson.

Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them. Gienah watched as, one by one, his classmates did the most extraordinary things under its influence. Dean Thomas hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Neville performed a series of quite astonishing gymnastics he would certainly not have been capable of in his normal state. Not one of them seemed to be able to fight off the curse, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it.

"Black," Moody growled, "you next."

Gienah moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Moody had cleared of desks. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and said, "Imperio!"

She heard Mad-Eye Moody's voice, echoing in some distant chamber of her brain: Jump onto the desk...jump onto the desk..

Gienah blinked, and then folded her arms.

She saw Moody narrow his eyes and scream the order this time.

"Do you mind" Gienah said, holding her head. "You're giving me an awful headache."

"Interesting." muttered Moody. "Look into my eyes."

Gienah did and she heard him mutter "Leglimens."

She felt a horrible prodding in her mind and drew her wand.

"Expeliarmus!"

Moody was disarmed. Gienah passed him his wand, and saw him look suspiciously at her.

"Unheard of." He muttered. She looked at the rest of the class who stared at her, looking impressed. "Are you a skilled occlumens child?"

"No." Gienah said. "I know the theory."

Moody then looked at Harry.

"Lily Potter must have some potent magic in her blood… Two extraordinary children."

"The way he talks," Harry muttered as he hobbled out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class an hour later, "you'd think we were all going to be attacked any second."

"Yeah, I know," said Ron, who was skipping on every alternate step. He had had much more difficulty with the curse than Gienah, though Moody assured him the effects would wear off by lunchtime. "Talk about paranoid..." Ron glanced nervously over his shoulder to check that Moody was definitely out of earshot and went on. "No wonder they were glad to get shot of him at the Ministry. Did you hear him telling Seamus what he did to that witch who shouted 'Boo' behind him on April Fools' Day? And when are we supposed to read up on resisting the Imperius Curse with everything else we've got to do?"

"How did you keep him out?" Hermione asked, her arms folded.

Gienah shrugged, though she suspected it must have something to do with her Nagual blood.

All the fourth years had noticed a definite increase in the amount of work they were required to do this term. Professor McGonagall explained why, when the class gave a particularly loud groan at the amount of Transfiguration homework she had assigned.

"You are now entering a most important phase of your magical education!" she told them, her eyes glinting dangerously behind her square spectacles. "Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are drawing closer."

Meanwhile Professor Binns, the ghost who taught History of Magic, had them writing weekly essays on the goblin rebellions of the eighteenth century. Professor Snape was forcing them to research antidotes. They took this one seriously, as he had hinted that he might be poisoning one of them before Christmas to see if their antidote worked. Professor Flitwick had asked them to read three extra books in preparation for their lesson on Summoning Charms.

Even Hagrid was adding to their workload. The Blast-Ended Skrewts were growing at a remarkable pace given that nobody had yet discovered what they ate. Hagrid was delighted, and as part of their "project," suggested that they come down to his hut on alternate evenings to observe the skrewts and make notes on their extraordinary behavior.

"I will not," said Draco Malfoy flatly when Hagrid had proposed this with the air of Father Christmas pulling an extra-large toy out of his sack. "I see enough of these foul things during lessons, thanks."

Hagrid's smile faded off his face.

"Yeh'll do wha' yer told," he growled, "or I'll be takin' a leaf outta Professor Moody's book...I hear yeh made a good ferret, Malfoy."

The Gryffindors roared with laughter. Malfoy flushed with anger, but apparently the memory of Moody's punishment was still sufficiently painful to stop him from retorting. Gienah returned to the castle at the end of the lesson in high spirits.

When they arrived in the entrance hall, they found themselves unable to proceed owing to the large crowd of students congregated there, all milling around a large sign that had been erected at the foot of the marble staircase. Ron, the tallest of the four, stood on tiptoe to see over the heads in front of them and read the sign aloud to the other two:

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY-

"Brilliant!" said Harry. "It's Potions last thing on Friday! Snape won't have time to poison us all!"

STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORE THE WELCOMING FEAST.

"Only a week away!" said Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff, emerging from the crowd, his eyes gleaming. "I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him..."

"Cedric?" said Ron blankly as Ernie hurried off.

"He's entering," said Gienah with a frown.

"That idiot, Hogwarts champion?" said Ron as they pushed their way through the chattering crowd toward the staircase.

Gienah whacked him on the head.

"He's not an idiot. You just don't like him because he beat Gryffindor at Quidditch," said Hermione.

She spoke as though this settled the matter.

"You only like him because he's handsome," said Ron scathingly.

"Excuse me, I don't like people just because they're handsome!" said Hermione indignantly.

Ron gave a loud false cough, which sounded oddly like "Lockhart!"

The next day Gienah left Cedric a note during breakfast and left without even a kiss. Cedric met her outside the Room of Requirement at ten o'clock that evening.

"You realize this is out of hours Ms. Black" Cedric said in his Prefect voice which sent a shiver down her spine. "I could give you detention."

"You could" Gienah said softly. "But I think I have a better idea."

Gienah took his tie and led him into the room. They had entered a beach. Cedric looked behind him and saw the door standing unattached. He walked around it then looked back at Gienah.

"Why am I never surprised?" Cedric said, kissing her lightly on her lips.

It was a warm night, they could hear the waves hitting the coast and the stars shining brightly above. Gienah pressed Cedric on his chest and shoved him back onto the sand. He then noticed for the first time that she was wearing a trench coat. He watched hungrily as she kicked off her shoes and slowly began to unbutton the coat. He saw a flash of her breast, then her inner thigh, before she finally took the whole thing off with her back to him, and her head turned over her shoulder. The coat dropped and he saw she was wearing her uniform but wonderfully customized. The skirt was so short it resembled a boat. Her shirt reached her midriff baring her smooth back. She turned slowly and fell to her knees. Her shirt was tied in a knot revealing the top of her bra.

"I trust this arrangement suits you fine?" Gienah said in a whisper.

Cedric could only nod.

Gienah laughed as she was an inch away from his lips. She then leaned back and untied her shirt. She stood up seductively and wriggled out of her skirt. Then so slowly he was tempted to rip the bra off with his teeth she removed her bra, revealing her perky breasts, her nipples erect in the light breeze. Then she slowly dragged her underwear down while covering her crotch with one hand.

She stood before him completely naked, her cheeks tainted with a blush, her hair fell around her shoulders as she slowly removed her hand and came down on all fours.

"Gienah" Cedric groaned.

Gienah pressed his lips against his, then pulled at his lip with her teeth. She held his hands in hers, refusing him to get any closer. She pulled away once more and looked at his darkened eyes, heavy with want.

"Now, this will not do." Gienah tutted, stroking the length of his tie. She began to remove his shirt, kissing his revealed body as she did so. Gienah then straddled his waist and pushed him down on the sandy floor. She kissed the skin below his navel and felt him twitch. She grinned and went lower to remove his belt, then his trousers. Cedric was left shivering with his boxers but it was nothing to do with the cold.

Gienah kissed high thigh before gently pulling down his boxers. Gienah knelt between his legs for a minute, just watching his erect penis. She had no idea how to describe it, only that it looked nothing like the doodles she found in the back of the classroom. Cedric watched her watch him and eventually she brought out a tentative hand and stroked him. Cedric's whole body twitched. Gienah stopped.

"No, carry on" Cedric gasped.

Gienah nodded and traced the entire length with her forefinger. Then she grasped it with a firmer hold with her whole hand and dragged down, then up again. Cedric groaned and the noise went straight between her legs. Gienah bit her lip and then quickly, before she lost her nerve she put her whole mouth over his cock.

Cedric groaned again, arching his back as she started to suck him off. Cedric stopped her after a few seconds and pulled her under him. He had a painful expression on his face.

"Merlin, Gienah" Cedric breathed against her neck. "What are you doing to me?"

Gienah shivered pleasantly as he continued to trail his kisses down to her breast. For the first time in her life she had her nipples in someone else's mouth. It was heavenly. Gienah closed her eyes and gripped Cedric's hair as he nibbled and sucked and pulled with both his mouth and his fingers.

Gienah could feel the heat and hardness of him against her leg and she stroked her leg up and down against him enjoying the impact on his breathing.

"Gienah" He pleaded. "I won't be able to.."

Gienah stopped. Cedric again went further down her body and then attacked her with his tongue. Inserting his tongue, penetrating her, his thumb stroking her swollen clit.

"Cedric" Gienah moaned.

It felt so good. So damn good.

He circled his thumb faster while tongue fucking her and eventually she felt that wonderful release that sent waves of pleasure radiating throughout her body. Gienah let out a slow moan as she came, he kept going until she had stopped jolting under him.

"Cedric?" Gienah asked breathlessly.

Cedric straddled her waist and looked down at her.

"Fuck me?"

"Are you sure?" Cedric said, stroking her jaw.

Gienah nodded.

Cedric scrambled to het his wand and hurriedly performed a contreceptive spell and in less then a second he was slowly entering her.

Gienah bit her lip down as she felt a thudding pain.

"Sorry, sorry" Cedric said with a frown, kissing her as if hoping it would take away the pain.

He stayed there for a few seconds, and then she relaxed and the pain was only a memory.

"Ok, move" Gienah said, holding his toned arms tightly, digging her nails in a little.

Cedric looked at her the whole time as he began to move, so gently she couldn't feel him at first. Then he increased his pace and she was in heaven.

"Merlin, fuck me, fuck me, fuck me." Gienah screamed.

Cedric chuckled before he lifted her legs up and pushed them forward and to the side as he fucked her tight hole with her body twisted under him. The new angle felt divine. She could feel him hit against a particular sensitive spot that made her eyes roll back into her head each time. It didn't take long for her to cum again, accept this time she became undone with a hot stiff cock inside of her and for some reason it made all the difference. She could feel her walls tighten around him as she came, and her whole body spasm as he continued to hold her legs.

"I can't - stop-" Cedric bit his lip and she felt something gush inside of her, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Cedric finished after three more thrusts and fell on top of her.

"Happy Birthday" Gienah whispered.

Gienah woke up the next morning feeling sore, the pain made her smile as she remembered the night before. She couldn't help look over him at breakfast. Cedric managed to slip coffee over himself as he stared back at her.

"Ugh, you two are acting worse than ever" Ron said, watching him blush furiously as his fellow Hufflepuff's looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

For the rest of the school, there seemed to be only one topic of conversation, no matter where Gienah went: the Triwizard Tournament. Rumors were flying from student to student like highly contagious germs: who was going to try for Hogwarts champion, what the tournament would involve, how the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang differed from themselves.

Argus Filch, the caretaker, was behaving so ferociously to any students who forgot to wipe their shoes that he terrified a pair of first-year girls into hysterics.

Other members of the staff seemed oddly tense too.

"Longbottom, kindly do not reveal that you can't even perform a simple Switching Spell in front of anyone from Durmstrang!" Professor McGonagall barked at the end of one particularly difficult lesson, during which Neville had accidentally transplanted his own ears onto a cactus.

When they went down to breakfast on the morning of the thirtieth of October, they found that the Great Hall had been decorated overnight. Enormous silk banners hung from the walls, each of them representing a Hogwarts House: red with a gold lion for Gryffindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver serpent for Slytherin. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: lion, eagle, badger, and snake united around a large letter H.

Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down beside Fred and George at the Gryffindor table. Once again, and most unusually, they were sitting apart from everyone else and conversing in low voices. Ron led the way over to them.

"You two got any ideas on the Triwizard Tournament yet?" Harry asked.

"I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen but she wasn't telling," said George bitterly. "She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon."

"Wonder what the tasks are going to be?" said Ron thoughtfully. "You know, I bet we could do them, Harry. We've done dangerous stuff before..."

"Not in front of a panel of judges, you haven't," said Fred. "McGonagall says the champions get awarded points according to how well they've done the tasks."

"Who are the judges?" Harry asked.

"Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel," said Hermione, and everyone looked around at her, rather surprised, "because all three of them were injured during the Tournament of 1792, when a cockatrice the champions were supposed to be catching went on the rampage."

She noticed them all looking at her and said, with her usual air of impatience that nobody else had read all the books she had, "It's all in Hogwarts, A History."

There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air that day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; even Potions was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter. When the bell rang early, Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, deposited their bags and books as they had been instructed, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall.

The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines.

"Weasley, straighten your hat," Professor McGonagall snapped at Ron. "Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair."

Parvati scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her plait.

"Follow me, please," said Professor McGonagall. "First years in front...no pushing..."

They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. Harry, standing between Ron and Hermione in the fourth row from the front, saw Dennis Creevey positively shivering with anticipation among the other first years.

They scanned the darkening grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving; everything was still, silent, and quite as usual. Gienah was starting to feel cold.

And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers -

"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.

"There!" yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest.

Something large, much larger than a broomstick - or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks - was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.

"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely.

"Don't be stupid...it's a flying house!" said Dennis Creevey.

Dennis's guess was closer...As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powderblue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant.

The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed - then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backward onto a Slytherin fifth year's foot, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.

Gienah just had time to see that the door of the carriage bore a coat of arms (two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars) before it opened.

A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. Then Gienah saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled - followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman she had ever seen in her life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped.

As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.

Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman.

Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it.

"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dort," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"

"In excellent form, I thank you," said Dumbledore.

"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her.

Gienah, whose attention had been focused completely upon Madame Maxime, now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. From what Gienah could see of them (they were standing in Madame Maxime's enormous shadow), they were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.

"As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked.

"He should be here any moment," said Dumbledore. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up, I think," said Madame Maxime. "But ze 'orses -"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," said Dumbledore, "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other - er - charges."

"Skrewts," Ron muttered to Gienah, grinning.

"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," said Madame Maxime, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. "Zey are very strong..."

"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," said Dumbledore, smiling.

"Very well," said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"

"It will be attended to," said Dumbledore, also bowing.

"Come," said Madame Maxime imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.

They stood, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky.

"Can you hear something?" said Ron suddenly.

Gienah listened; a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward them from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed...

"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"

From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water - except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks -and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor...

What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool...and then Gienah saw the rigging...

"It's a mast!" Harry said.

Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.

People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, Gienah noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle...but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, she saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.

"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied. Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own.

"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Gienah noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good...Viktor, come along, into the warmth...you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."

Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Gienah caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. She didn't need the punch on the arm Ron gave her, or the hiss in her ear, to recognize that profile.

"Genna - it's Krum!"

I don't believe it!" Ron said, in a stunned voice, as the Hogwarts students filed back up the steps behind the party from Durmstrang. "Krum, Harry! Viktor Krum!"

"For heaven's sake, Ron, he's only a Quidditch player," said Hermione.

"Only a Quidditch player?" Ron said, looking at her as though he couldn't believe his ears. "Hermione - he's one of the best Seekers in the world! I had no idea he was still at school!"

They walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Ron took care to sit on the side facing the doorway, because Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students were still gathered around it, apparently unsure about where they should sit. The students from Beauxbatons had chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table. They were looking around the Great Hall with glum expressions on their faces. Three of them were still clutching scarves and shawls around their heads.

"It's not that cold," said Hermione defensively. "Why didn't they bring cloaks?"

"Over here! Come and sit over here!" Ron hissed. "Over here! Hermione, budge up, make a space -"

"What?"

"Too late," said Ron bitterly.

Viktor Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students had settled themselves at the Slytherin table. Gienah could see Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle looking very smug about this. As she watched, Malfoy bent forward to speak to Krum.

"Yeah, that's right, smarm up to him, Malfoy," said Ron scathingly. "I bet Krum can see right through him, though...bet he gets people fawning over him all the time...Where d'you reckon they're going to sleep? We could offer him a space in our dormitory, Harry...I wouldn't mind giving him my bed, I could kip on a camp bed."

Hermione snorted.

"They look a lot happier than the Beauxbatons lot," said Harry. The Durmstrang students were pulling off their heavy furs and looking up at the starry black ceiling with expressions of interest; a couple of them were picking up the golden plates and goblets and examining them, apparently impressed.

When all the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their House tables, the staff entered, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime. When their headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students laughed. The Beauxbatons party appeared quite unembarrassed, however, and did not resume their seats until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side. Dumbledore remained standing, and a silence fell over the Great Hall.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and - most particularly - guests," said Dumbledore, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."

One of the Beauxbatons girls still clutching a muffler around her head gave what was unmistakably a derisive laugh.

"No one's making you stay!" Hermione whispered, bristling at her.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

The Great Hall seemed somehow much more crowded than usual, even though there were barely twenty additional students there; perhaps it was because their differently colored uniforms stood out so clearly against the black of the Hogwarts' robes. Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep bloodred.

"Excuse me, are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?"

It was the girl from Beauxbatons who had laughed during Dumbledore's speech. She had finally removed her muffler. A long sheet of silvery-blonde hair fell almost to her waist. She had large, deep blue eyes, and very white, even teeth.

Ron went purple. He stared up at her, opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out except a faint gurgling noise.

"Yeah, have it," said Harry, pushing the dish toward the girl.

"You 'ave finished wiz it?"

"Yeah," Ron said breathlessly. "Yeah, it was excellent."

The girl picked up the dish and carried it carefully off to the Ravenclaw table. Ron was still goggling at the girl as though he had never seen one before. Harry started to laugh. The sound seemed to jog Ron back to his senses.

"She's a veela!" he said hoarsely to Harry.

"Of course she isn't!" said Hermione tartly. "I don't see anyone else gaping at her like an idiot!"

But she wasn't entirely right about that. As the girl crossed the Hall, many boys' heads turned, and some of them seemed to have become temporarily speechless, just like Ron.

"I think she may be half" Gienah said, watching her closely.

"I'm telling you, that's not a normal girl!" said Ron, leaning sideways so he could keep a clear view of her. "They don't make them like that at Hogwarts!"

"They make them okay at Hogwarts," said Harry without thinking.

Gienah winked at Hermione before she closed her eyes and opened them again.

"What were you saying Ronald?" Gienah said sweetly.

Ron turned to her and then his look of confusion turned into a soppy puppy dog gaze and Gienah changed in a flash.

"Don't ever look at anyone like that again Ron" Gienah said. Harry laughed.

"When you've both put your eyes back in," said Hermione briskly, "you'll be able to see who's just arrived."

She was pointing up at the staff table. The two remaining empty seats had just been filled. Ludo Bagman was now sitting on Professor Karkaroff's other side, while Mr. Crouch, Percy's boss, was next to Madame Maxime.

"What are they doing here?" said Gienah in surprise.

Once the golden plates had been wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Hall now. Gienah felt a slight thrill of excitement, wondering what was coming. Several seats down from them, Fred and George were leaning forward, staring at Dumbledore with great concentration.

"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket -"

"- just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation" - there was a smattering of polite applause - "and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps because of his fame as a Beater, or simply because he looked so much more likable.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."

Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old. A murmur of excited interest rose from the watching students.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways.. their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

At this last word, the Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.

Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," said Dumbledore, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.

"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."

As the next day was Saturday, most students would normally have breakfasted late. Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, were not alone in rising much earlier for their muggle studies class. When they went down into the entrance hall, they saw about twenty people milling around it, some of them eating toast, all examining the Goblet of Fire. It had been placed in the center of the hall on the stool that normally bore the Sorting Hat. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around it in every direction.

"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a third-year girl eagerly.

"All the Durmstrang lot," she replied. "But I haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts yet."

"Bet some of them put it in last night after we'd all gone to bed," said Harry. "I would've if it had been me...wouldn't have wanted everyone watching. What if the goblet just gobbed you right back out again?"

Someone laughed behind Harry. Turning, he saw Fred, George, and Lee Jordan hurrying down the staircase, all three of them looking extremely excited.

"Done it," Fred said in a triumphant whisper to Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Just taken it."

"What?" said Ron.

"The Aging Potion, dung brains," said Fred.

"One drop each," said George, rubbing his hands together with glee. "We only need to be a few months older."

"We're going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins," said Lee, grinning broadly.

"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," said Hermione warningly. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this."

Fred, George, and Lee ignored her.

"Ready?" Fred said to the other two, quivering with excitement. "C'mon, then - I'll go first -"

GIenah watched, fascinated, as Fred pulled a slip of parchment out of his pocket bearing the words Fred Weasley - Hogwarts. Fred walked right up to the edge of the line and stood there, rocking on his toes like a diver preparing for a fifty-foot drop. Then, with the eyes of every person in the entrance hall upon him, he took a great breath and stepped over the line.

For a split second Gienah thought it had worked - George certainly thought so, for he let out a yell of triumph and leapt after Fred - but next moment, there was a loud sizzling sound, and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle as though they had been thrown by an invisible shot-putter. They landed painfully, ten feet away on the cold stone floor, and to add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and both of them sprouted identical long white beards.

The entrance hall rang with laughter. Even Fred and George joined in, once they had gotten to their feet and taken a good look at each other's beards.

"I did warn you," said a deep, amused voice, and everyone turned to see Professor Dumbledore coming out of the Great Hall. He surveyed Fred and George, his eyes twinkling. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."

Fred and George set off for the hospital wing, accompanied by Lee, who was howling with laughter, and Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, also chortling, went in to breakfast.

"Happy Halloween" Mike greeted them when they entered.

All four of them had passed their coursework in English Literature, Science and History. Hermione managed to get A*s, Gienah got straight A's, Harry and Ron got a mixture of As and Bs. They were now progressing onto English Language, and more complex mathematics.

"At the end of the year you will have completed your English Language coursework and taken your Chemistry and Maths exams." Mike began. "We shall begin with geometry. Open your books to chapter seven, Harry, complete the first exercise on the board."

They left the classroom feeling quietly confident. A light rain had started to fall by mid-afternoon. They went to visit Hagrid and sat by the fire, listening to the gentle patter of the drops on the window, watching Hagrid darning his socks and arguing with Hermione about house-elves - for he flatly refused to join S.P.E.W. when she showed him her badges.

By half past five it was growing dark, and Gienah, Ron, Harry, and Hermione decided it was time to get back up to the castle for the Halloween feast - and, more important, the announcement of the school champions.

They let themselves out of the cabin and shut the door behind them. It was surprisingly dark outside. Drawing their cloaks more closely around themselves, they set off up the sloping lawns.

"Ooh it's them, look!" Hermione whispered.

The Durmstrang party was walking up toward the castle from the lake. Viktor Krum was walking side by side with Karkaroff, and the other Durmstrang students were straggling along behind them. Ron watched Krum excitedly, but Krum did not look around as he reached the front doors a little ahead of Gienah, Hermione, Ron, and Harry and proceeded through them.

When they entered the candlelit Great Hall it was almost full. The Goblet of Fire had been moved; it was now standing in front of Dumbledore's empty chair at the teachers' table. Fred and George - clean-shaven again - seemed to have taken their disappointment fairly well.

The Halloween feast seemed to take much longer than usual. Perhaps because it was their second feast in two days. At long last, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the Hall, which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet. On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked as tense and expectant as anyone. Ludo Bagman was beaming and winking at various students. Mr. Crouch, however, looked quite uninterested, almost bored.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" - he indicated the door behind the staff table - "where they will be receiving their first instructions."

He took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, bluey-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes.

The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red again. Sparks began to fly from it. Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it - the whole room gasped.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white.

"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum."

"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff, so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"

The clapping and chatting died down. Now everyone's attention was focused again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"

When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it. The Hogwarts champion next...

And the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.

"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"

Gienah clapped politely, biting her lip as she watched her boyfriend make his way past the screaming Hufflepuff's, grinning broadly, and headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table. Indeed, the applause for Cedric went on so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real -"

But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him.

The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment.

Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out -

"Harry Potter."


	34. The First Task

Chapter Thirty-Eight: **The First Task**

"You've got to be fucking kidding me" Gienah hissed under her breath.

There was no applause. A buzzing, as though of angry bees, was starting to fill the Hall; some students were standing up to get a better look at Harry as he sat, frozen, in his seat.

"I didn't put my name in," Harry said blankly. "You know I didn't."

Gienah rolled her eyes.

At the top table, Professor Dumbledore had straightened up, nodding to Professor McGonagall.

"Harry Potter!" he called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"

"Go on," Hermione whispered, giving Harry a slight push.

Gienah watched her brother walk up to the staff table and beyond the doors she once entered with Snape. Gienah looked around before slipping underneath the table. Gienah turned into a small mouse and scurried down the table and beneath the staff table. Before she entered she turned into a fly and sat quietly by the window sill.

"What is it?" she said. "Do zey want us back in ze Hall?"

He just stood there, looking at the three champions.

There was a sound of scurrying feet behind him, and Ludo Bagman entered the room. He took Harry by the arm and led him forward.

"Extraordinary!" he muttered, squeezing Harry's arm. "Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen...lady," he added, approaching the fireside and addressing the other three. "May I introduce - incredible though it may seem - the fourth Triwizard champion?"

Viktor Krum straightened up. His surly face darkened as he surveyed Harry. Cedric looked nonplussed. He looked from Bagman to Harry and back again as though sure he must have misheard what Bagman had said. Fleur Delacour, however, tossed her hair, smiling, and said, "Oh, vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman."

"Joke?" Bagman repeated, bewildered. "No, no, not at all! Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!"

"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake," she said contemptuously to Bagman. "'E cannot compete. 'E is too young."

"Well...it is amazing," said Bagman, rubbing his smooth chin and smiling down at Harry. "But, as you know, the age restriction was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure. And as his name's come out of the goblet...I mean, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage...It's down in the rules, you're obliged...Harry will just have to do the best he -"

The door behind them opened again, and a large group of people came in: Professor Dumbledore, followed closely by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape.

"Madame Maxime!" said Fleur at once, striding over to her headmistress. "Zey are saying zat zis little boy is to compete also!"

Madame Maxime had drawn herself up to her full, and considerable, height. The top of her handsome head brushed the candle-filled chandelier, and her gigantic black-satin bosom swelled.

"What is ze meaning of zis, Dumbly-dorr?" she said imperiously.

"I'd rather like to know that myself, Dumbledore," said Professor Karkaroff. He was wearing a steely smile, and his blue eyes were like chips of ice. "Two Hogwarts champions? I don't remember anyone telling me the host school is allowed two champions - or have I not read the rules carefully enough?"

He gave a short and nasty laugh.

"C'est impossible," said Madame Maxime, whose enormous hand with its many superb opals was resting upon Fleur's shoulder. "'Ogwarts cannot 'ave two champions. It is most injust."

"We were under the impression that your Age Line would keep out younger contestants, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff, his steely smile still in place, though his eyes were colder than ever. "Otherwise, we would, of course, have brought along a wider selection of candidates from our own schools."

"It's no one's fault but Potter's, Karkaroff," said Snape softly. His black eyes were alight with malice. "Don't go blaming Dumbledore for Potter's determination to break rules. He has been crossing lines ever since he arrived here -"

"Thank you, Severus," said Dumbledore firmly, and Snape went quiet, though his eyes still glinted malevolently through his curtain of greasy black hair.

Professor Dumbledore was now looking down at Harry.

"Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" he asked calmly.

"No," said Harry. He was very aware of everybody watching him closely. Snape made a soft noise of impatient disbelief in the shadows.

"Did you ask an older student to put it into the Goblet of Fire for you?" said Professor Dumbledore, ignoring Snape.

"No," said Harry vehemently.

"Ah, but of course 'e is lying!" cried Madame Maxime. Snape was now shaking his head, his lip curling.

"He could not have crossed the Age Line," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "I am sure we are all agreed on that -"

"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line," said Madame Maxime, shrugging.

"It is possible, of course," said Dumbledore politely.

"Dumbledore, you know perfectly well you did not make a mistake!" said Professor McGonagall angrily. "Really, what nonsense! Harry could not have crossed the line himself, and as Professor Dumbledore believes that he did not persuade an older student to do it for him, I'm sure that should be good enough for everybody else!"

She shot a very angry look at Professor Snape.

"Mr. Crouch...Mr. Bagman," said Karkaroff, his voice unctuous once more, "you are our - er - objective judges. Surely you will agree that this is most irregular?"

Bagman wiped his round, boyish face with his handkerchief and looked at Mr. Crouch, who was standing outside the circle of the firelight, his face half hidden in shadow. He looked slightly eerie, the half darkness making him look much older, giving him an almost skull-like appearance. When he spoke, however, it was in his usual curt voice.

"We must follow the rules, and the rules state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament."

"Well, Barty knows the rule book back to front," said Bagman, beaming and turning back to Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, as though the matter was now closed.

"I insist upon resubmitting the names of the rest of my students," said Karkaroff. He had dropped his unctuous tone and his smile now. His face wore a very ugly look indeed. "You will set up the Goblet of Fire once more, and we will continue adding names until each school has two champions. It's only fair, Dumbledore."

"But Karkaroff, it doesn't work like that," said Bagman. "The Goblet of Fire's just gone out - it won't reignite until the start of the next tournament -"

"- in which Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing!" exploded Karkaroff. "After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises, I little expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!"

"Empty threat, Karkaroff," growled a voice from near the door. "You can't leave your champion now. He's got to compete. They've all got to compete. Binding magical contract, like Dumbledore said. Convenient, eh?"

Moody had just entered the room. He limped toward the fire, and with every right step he took, there was a loud clunk.

"Convenient?" said Karkaroff. "I'm afraid I don't understand you, Moody."

"Don't you?" said Moody quietly. "It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out."

"Evidently, someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at ze apple!" said Madame Maxime.

"I quite agree, Madame Maxime," said Karkaroff, bowing to her. "I shall be lodging complaints with the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards -"

"If anyone's got reason to complain, it's Potter," growled Moody, "but...funny thing...I don't hear him saying a word..."

"Why should 'e complain?" burst out Fleur Delacour, stamping her foot. "'E 'as ze chance to compete, 'asn't 'e? We 'ave all been 'oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools! A thousand Galleons in prize money - zis is a chance many would die for!"

"Maybe someone's hoping Potter is going to die for it," said Moody, with the merest trace of a growl.

An extremely tense silence followed these words. Ludo Bagman, who was looking very anxious indeed, bounced nervously up and down on his feet and said, "Moody, old man...what a thing to say!"

"We all know Professor Moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn't discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime," said Karkaroff loudly. "Apparently he is now teaching his students to fear assassination too. An odd quality in a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore, but no doubt you had your reasons.

"Imagining things, am I?" growled Moody. "Seeing things, eh? It was a skilled witch or wizard who put the boy's name in that goblet..."

"Ah, what evidence is zere of zat?" said Madame Maxime, throwing up her huge hands.

"Because they hoodwinked a very powerful magical object!" said Moody. "It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament...I'm guessing they submitted Potter's name under a fourth school, to make sure he was the only one in his category..."

"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought, Moody," said Karkaroff coldly, "and a very ingenious theory it is - though of course, I heard you recently got it into your head that one of your birthday presents contained a cunningly disguised basilisk egg, and smashed it to pieces before realizing it was a carriage clock. So you'll understand if we don't take you entirely seriously..."

"There are those who'll turn innocent occasions to their advantage," Moody retorted in a menacing voice. "It's my job to think the way Dark wizards do, Karkaroff - as you ought to remember...

"Alastor!" said Dumbledore warningly.

"How this situation arose, we do not know," said Dumbledore, speaking to everyone gathered in the room. "It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Harry have been chosen to compete in the Tournament. This, therefore, they will do..."

"Ah, but Dumbly-dorr -"

"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it."

Dumbledore waited, but Madame Maxime did not speak, she merely glared. She wasn't the only one either. Snape looked furious; Karkaroff livid; Bagman, however, looked rather excited.

"Well, shall we crack on, then?" he said, rubbing his hands together and smiling around the room. "Got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we? Barty, want to do the honors?"

Mr. Crouch seemed to come out of a deep reverie.

"Yes," he said, "instructions. Yes...the first task..."

"The first task is designed to test your daring," he told Harry, Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor, "so we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard...very important...

"The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and the panel of judges.

"The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests."

Mr. Crouch turned to look at Dumbledore.

"I think that's all, is it, Albus?"

"I think so," said Dumbledore, who was looking at Mr. Crouch with mild concern. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?"

"No, Dumbledore, I must get back to the Ministry," said Mr. Crouch. "It is a very busy, very difficult time at the moment...I've left young Weatherby in charge...Very enthusiastic...a little overenthusiastic, if truth be told..."

"Harry, Cedric, I suggest you go up to bed," said Dumbledore, smiling at both of them. "I am sure Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are waiting to celebrate with you, and it would be a shame to deprive them of this excellent excuse to make a great deal of mess and noise."

Harry glanced at Cedric, who nodded, and they left together. Gienah followed and settled as a serpent around his neck. Harry looked down surprisingly for a second before acting as if nothing had happened.

The Great Hall was deserted now; the candles had burned low, giving the jagged smiles of the pumpkins an eerie, flickering quality.

"So," said Cedric, with a slight smile. "We're playing against each other again!"

"I s'pose," said Harry.

"So...tell me..." said Cedric as they reached the entrance hall, which was now lit only by torches in the absence of the Goblet of Fire. "How did you get your name in?"

"I didn't," said Harry, staring up at him. "I didn't put it in. I was telling the truth."

"Ah...okay," said Cedric. Gienah hissed at him. "Well...see you, then."

Gienah transformed as soon as the door closed.

"I can't believe this!" Gienah stamped her foot.

"We did say" Harry sighed.

"How much do you want to bet Voldemort's behind this?" Gienah asked. "Oh if we had murdered him when we had the chance."

"You said it yourself." Harry said. "The confrontation was inevitable."

The blast of noise that met Gienah's ears when the portrait opened almost knocked him backward. Next thing he knew, he was being wrenched inside the common room by about a dozen pairs of hands, and was facing the whole of Gryffindor House, all of whom were screaming, applauding, and whistling.

"You should've told us you'd entered!" bellowed Fred; he looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed.

"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" roared George.

"I didn't," Harry said. "I don't know how -"

But Angelina had now swooped down upon him; "Oh if it couldn't be me, at least it's a Gryffindor -"

"You'll be able to pay back Diggory for that last Quidditch match, Harry!" shrieked Katie Bell, another of the Gryffindor Chasers.

"We've got food, Harry, come and have some -"

"I'm not hungry, I had enough at the feast -"

Gienah joined Hermione by the window, watching Harry being congratulated.

"He has the worst luck" Gienah grumbled. "And I get pulled into it. Now both my boyfriend and my brother is competing in a competition with a record for killing it's champions."

Hermione circled her back soothingly.

"That boy has nine lives." Hermione said.

"I'd rather not strike another".

 _Dear Sirius, Remus,_

 _Cedric and Harry's names were taken out of the goblet. He has to compete. Moody thinks someone is trying to kill him and I couldn't agree more. There's no way he can get out of it but I am convinced there is someone in Hogwarts we can't trust. Professor Snape thinks Harry entered… So does Cedric. I'll be knocking sense into the pair of them. I'll be shortlisting suspects and investigating further. Please don't ask me not to. I won't let the person that entered his name get away with this._

 _Love,_

 _Gienah_

Sunday morning, Gienah and Hermione walked down to breakfast, arriving early as usual.

"I sometimes wake up eight in the morning on Sundays and feel like I made the deal with the devil to give up my Sunday mornings." Gienah said, after a silent breakfast of porridge.

Hermione only looked at her, her eyes half-closed and nodded.

Harry joined them at the table.

"Where's Ron?" Hermione yawned.

Harry shrugged.

"You two never come down to breakfast alone." Gienah said, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes." Hermione said. "We did wonder…"

"He thinks I entered my name in the tournament." Harry said stiffly.

Gienah and Hermione both made o shape with their mouths, and when Ron came down the four of them didn't say a word.

"Welcome to the world of advertising" Mike said as he handed them a booklet each. "A key part of your language studies is seeing how language can be used in different ways to persuade the reader or the viewer to buy the product with their eyes. It is a ludicrous industry in the muggle world and key to understanding muggle lifestyle. Next week I will be giving you a crash course on a man called Karl Marx, his philosophy communism, how it inspired socialism and, what by the way is materialism? You will read in preparation for next week this article by Coady creatively entitled "How advertising infects our vision and write a wizarding response on whether the same analysis can be used on your world. You are dismissed."

"Days like this I understand." Gienah said as they walked down to lunch. "Why I'm considering a degree in the muggle world - you know- we haven't had the opportunity to experiment with political systems the way they have. We have traditional supremacists or fascist supremacists."

Ron had sat down near Fred and George.

Hermione looked at Gienah, who only shrugged before sitting in their usual seats.

Hermione and Gienah began fervently talking about the finer points in The Prince, Harry silently retreating, taking side long looks at Ron every now and then. Once Harry began poking his treacle tart around in his bowl Gienah brought her hand down sharply on the table.

"Honestly Harry!" Gienah sighed. "Give him a few days at the least."

"What?" Harry said stupidly.

"Let him cool down." Gienah said more clearly.

"Cool down?" Harry asked, now looking at Hermione.

"Oh Harry, isn't it obvious?" Hermione said despairingly. "He's jealous!"

"Jealous?" Harry said incredulously. "Jealous of what? He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the whole school, does he?"

"Look," said Hermione patiently, "it's always you who gets all the attention, you know it is. I know it's not your fault," she added quickly, seeing Harry open his mouth furiously. "I know you don't ask for it...but - well - you know, Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you're his best friend, and you're really famous - he's always shunted to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many..."

"Great," said Harry bitterly. "Really great. Tell him from me I'll swap any time he wants. Tell him from me he's welcome to it...People gawping at my forehead everywhere I go..."

"We aren't telling him anything," Hermione said shortly.

"I'm not running around after him trying to make him grow up!" Harry said loudly. "Maybe he'll believe I'm not enjoying myself once I've got my neck broken or -"

"That's not funny," said Hermione quietly. "That's not funny at all." She looked extremely anxious.

The Hufflepuffs, who were usually on excellent terms with the Gryffindors, had turned remarkably cold toward the whole lot of them. One Herbology lesson was enough to demonstrate this. It was plain that the Hufflepuffs felt that Harry had stolen their champion's glory; a feeling exacerbated, perhaps, by the fact that Hufflepuff House very rarely got any glory, and that Cedric was one of the few who had ever given them any, having beaten Gryffindor once at Quidditch.

Gienah was getting sick of glaring at the many Hufflepuffs and began to mutter under her breath about resorting to drastic measures. Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch Fletchley, laughed rather unpleasantly when one of the Bouncing Bulbs wriggled free from Harry's grip and smacked him hard in the face. But then even Professor Sprout seemed distant with him - but then, she was Head of Hufflepuff House and Gienah was resigned that the Hufflepuffs believed that by snubbing Harry, they were supporting Cedric. Gienah had already given Cedric a thorough talking to but he was her boyfriend.

Care of Magical Creatures was the first time seeing the Slytherins one-on-one since The Announcement - as she called it ominously in her head - and Malfoy was particularly nasty.

"Ah, look, boys, it's the champion," he said to Crabbe and Goyle the moment he got within earshot of Harry. "Got your autograph books? Better get a signature now, because I doubt he's going to be around much longer...Half the Triwizard champions have died...how long d'you reckon you're going to last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task's my bet."

Gienah set Vanajakshi loose on him and Malfoy shut up at once as he saw Gienah innocently taking a Screwt for a walk and her snake poised to attack.

Gienah had to watch Harry get through the next few weeks ignoring jibes from Ravenclaw's, open leering from Hufflepuff's and the usual nasty behaviour from Slytherin. Gienah though had her own problems. Cedric had always been a handsome boy. Prefect, with his straight nose, dark hair, and gray eyes, it was hard to say who was receiving more admiration these days, Cedric or Viktor Krum. Gienah actually saw the same sixth-year girls who had been so keen to get Krum's autograph begging Cedric to sign their school bags one lunchtime. Cedric found the entire thing amusing, but when he saw his girlfriends face as he signed one of their school bag all humour drained from his face.

When Gienah, Harry and Hermione arrived at Snape's dungeon after lunch, they found the Slytherins waiting outside, each and every one of them wearing a large badge on the front of his or her robes. She saw that they all bore the same message, in luminous red letters that burnt brightly in the dimly lit underground passage:

SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY-

THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION!

"Like them, Potter?" said Malfoy loudly as Harry approached. "And this isn't all they do - look!"

He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green:

POTTER STINKS!

The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around Harry. He felt the heat rise in his face and neck.

"Oh very funny," Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy Parkinson and her gang of Slytherin girls, who were laughing harder than anyone, "really witty."

Gienah pointed her wand at Malfoy and a second later his badge said BITE ME.

"And that's not all they do" Gienah said brightly. Malfoy reluctantly pressed his badge.

REALLY, BITE ME

Harry and Hermione burst out laughing. Malfoy scowled and took off the offending item.

"Want one, Granger?" said Malfoy, holding out a badge to Hermione. "I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up."

"You dare use that word in my presence Malfoy?" Gienah asked softly and she saw a very real flicker of fear flash in his eyes.

Gienah drew her wand. People all around them scrambled out of the way, backing down the corridor.

"Gienah!" Hermione said warningly.

Gienah had already waved her wand. Malfoy dropped his and grabbed his forehead in pain. He dropped his hand to reach for his wand and everyone gasped. Tattooed across his head was black spiky handwriting that said MUDBLOOD.

"I prefer that badge I think" GIenah said lightly.

"And what is all this noise about?" said a soft, deadly voice.

Snape had arrived. The Slytherins clamored to give their explanations; Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said, "Explain."

"Black attacked -"

But Malfoy was silenced, and continued to speak without a noise coming from his mouth.

"Finite incantatem." Snape whispered.

"-because I called Granger a mudblood and the badges I made insult Potte-" Malfoy clamped his hand against his mouth.

"That word is unacceptable Draco" Snape drawled. "You should know better. Ten points from Slytherin."

Harry stared at him in disbelief. They quickly hurried into the classroom, unsure what his behaviour meant because no way had he taken a Gryffindor's side in an argument. That would be stupid, wishful thinking.

"Antidotes!" said Snape, looking around at them all, his cold black eyes glittering unpleasantly. "You should all have prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully, and then, we will be selecting someone on whom to test one..."

Snape's eyes met Harry's. Gienah rolled her eyes. She was convinced they both enjoyed their sparring really, this is what she told herself anyway. And then a knock on the dungeon door burst in on her thoughts.

It was Colin Creevey; he edged into the room, beaming at Harry, and walked up to Snape's desk at the front of the room.

"Yes?" said Snape curtly.

"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs." Snape stared down his hooked nose at Colin, whose smile faded from his eager face.

"Potter has another hour of Potions to complete," said Snape coldly. "He will come upstairs when this class is finished."

Colin went pink.

"Sir - sir, Mr. Bagman wants him," he said nervously. "All the champions have got to go, I think they want to take photographs..."

"Very well, very well," Snape snapped. "Potter, leave your things here, I want you back down here later to test your antidote."

"Please, sir - he's got to take his things with him," squeaked Cohn. "All the champions..."

"Very well!" said Snape. "Potter - take your bag and get out of my sight!"

The next day Rita Skeeter had published her piece about the Triwizard Tournament, and it had turned out to be not so much a report on the tournament as a highly colored life story of Harry. Much of the front page had been given over to a picture of Harry; the article (continuing on pages two, six, and seven) had been all about Harry, the names of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions (misspelled) had been squashed into the last line of the article, and Cedric hadn't been mentioned at all.

"I suppose I get my strength from my parents. I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now...Yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it...I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament, because they're watching over me…" Gienah almost spat on the article. "What utter horse shit".

Gienah seethed as she listened to Slytherin's remarks that day.

"Want a hanky, Potter, in case you start crying in Transfiguration?"

"Since when have you been one of the top students in the school, Potter? Or is this a school you and Longbottom have set up together?"

One evening Gienah, Harry and Hermione were in the library. Gienah was finishing her potions essay while Harry looked up the theory behind summoning charms on Hermione's orders and Hermione complained about Krum and his fangirls.

"He's not even good-looking!" she muttered angrily, glaring at Krum's sharp profile. "They only like him because he's famous! They wouldn't look twice at him if he couldn't do that Wonky-Faint thing -"

"Wronski Feint," said Harry, through gritted teeth.

Gienah sighed and began to desperately look forward to the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow.

After their lesson the next morning Gienah and Ron walked down to the courtyard together. It had been the first time they were really alone together for a month. Gienah didn't know what to make of the argument anymore. Harry was angry and Ron just seemed indifferent, though he no longer made jokes, and stayed quiet during lessons. Gienah decided not to address the issue.

"You doing your Christmas shopping then?" Gienah asked cheerily. "Was meaning to ask you if there was anything you wanted."

Ron shrugged.

"Quidditch or Honeydukes?" Gienah asked.

"Honeydukes." Ron replied after a pause.

"Who you going to Hogsmeade with then?" Gienah asked.

"I thought-" Ron said, then he saw Cedric.

"I'm really sorry, you can join us if you want." Gienah said, feeling the urge to kick herself for the lack of tact.

"I'll pass." Ron said, sneering at Cedric.

Ron walked off and Gienah watched feeling like that could have gone better.

"They still not made up then?" Cedric said, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Mm, I've missed you."

"I saw you last night." Gienah pointed out.

"About that" Cedric said as he helped her onto a carriage. "I was wondering if you'd heard back anything from the board?"

"Undecided." Giena said with a smile.

Cedric sighed.

"And you'd know we'd never get any sleep." Gienah added.

Cedric smirked and pulled her into his lap.

"Sleep is something I'm willing to sacrifice." Cedric said as he nibbled on her neck.

Gienah purred.

"Bribery!"

When they arrived at Hogsmeade, they barely spent any time together, Gienah was running off here and there to buy presents for her rapidly increasing father.

"And now I have to buy gifts for Alyssandra, Bella, Mira, Narcissa, Ara and Cassiopeia!"

"What a mouthful." Cedric said as he browsed the sweet section. "Will you name your children after stars?"

"Hmm" Gienah said, picking up a box of Cockroach Clusters. "Probably. But the good ones are being taken."

"Yes, dad said in the summer that at this rate the Black's will outnumber the Weasley's." Cedric said.

"Of the female line." Gienah pointed out.

"Didn't you say your father was engaged?" Cedric said. "And that Remus's children had to take their mother's name?"

Gienah sighed.

"Believe me, this is something to celebrate. Dad was telling me how the Ministry had been holding discussions on how to deal with the stagnation of the wizarding race."

Gienah didn't respond and selected three boxes of the Deluxe edition of chocolate frogs.

"Are you planning to spoil everyone with chocolate?" Cedric chuckled.

"Less thinking involved" Gienah said.

"I know another present that requires hardly any thinking at all." Cedric said in her ear as she paid for her large pile of chocolates.

"Honestly" Gienah squeaked. "I don't know what is up with you lately."

Cedric chuckled and leaned back.

Gienah decided to make a dreamcatcher for Bellatrix, knowing from Lupin she still suffered post-Azkaban nightmares. Gienah brought all her little nieces and cousins the illustrated works of the Brother Grimm's Fairy Tales. For Lyra she brought a box set of An Unfortunate Events. Lupin, Ron and Harry received chocolates. For Narcissa and Alyssandra she brought silk scarves and for Hermione a beginners guide to Muggle law. Sirius got a bottle of whiskey though she wondered why she indulged the habit and for Cedric she had left him in Tomes and Scrolls to sneak into Greengrass Jeweller's and spent a frenzied twenty minutes looking for a watch.

"What I would do is pick something from the vaults" A drawl came from beside her.

"Malfoy." Gienah said with a gasp.

"A watch for Diggory?" Malfoy asked, looking over at the glass display she'd been looking at. "I think he'd prefer a mirror."

"Just because he's pretty-" Gienah began. "You aren't actually worth it. What are you doing here?"

"Mother recognizes all the jewellery from the vault." Malfoy said with a sigh.

"Woe you" Gienah said sarcastically.

"That one." Malfoy pointed a slim pale finger.

"The one with the green dial?" Gienah said, squinting.

"It's the exact shade of your eyes." Malfoy said.

Gienah looked at him in surprise.

"Draco" An old man came out from the back. "How can I help you young man?"

"I believe Lady Black wishes to purchase a watch." Malfoy bowed his head.

Mr. Greengrass bowed and looked at her curiously.

"The green dial please." Gienah said.

The watch boxed and wrapped she left Malfoy to it. Gienah walked into the Three Broomsticks taking her scarf off as she entered the familiar warmth. Gienah spied Hermione sitting on her own, muttering under her breath and looking to the empty stool on her left. Hermione shook her head as she looked at her and Gienah went to find Cedric. She found him sitting at a stool by the bar.

"You've been ages." Cedric said, taking her hand and pressing it to his lips.

"I'm all finished now." Gienah smiled, and leaned in for a kiss.

They both then heard a large flash of a camera and turned to see a small man taking several pictures of them, holding hands and Rita Skeeter standing nearby with her Quick Quotes Quill running down the notebook in its own accord.

Gienah drew her wand.

"Step back or the camera gets it."

The man smirked and walked back to the grinning reporter.

"I dread to think what she can make of an innocent kiss." Gienah said bitterly.

"That you're pregnant with the Hogwarts champions love child." Cedric laughed.

"If that goes in the paper I'd be accused of sleeping with Harry."

Cedric grimaced.

After a drink of butterbeer the two decided to walk back to Hogwarts, enjoying the company without girls glaring at Gienah, and fawning over Cedric. They spoke for a while about his upcoming task and soon they were parting ways.

Gienah found Harry and Hermione in the common room with a letter in his hand.

"Everything ok?" Gienah asked a she sank into an armchair.

Harry passed her the letter.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I would be weary of Karkaroff. He was once a death eater, only released following a deal with the Ministry of Magic. He said he'd seen the error of his ways, and then he named names...he put a load of other people into Azkaban in his place...He's not very popular in there, I can tell you. And since he got out, from what I can tell, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well._

 _There are signs Harry. Gienah is aware of them but I want you to read between the lines of Skeeter's rubbish as well. Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. I think someone tried to stop him from getting to Hogwarts. I think someone knew their job would be a lot more difficult with him around. And no one's going to look into it too closely; Mad-Eye's heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn't mean he can't still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had._

 _The Death Eaters seem to be a bit more active than usual lately. They showed themselves at the Quidditch World Cup. Someone set off the Dark Mark...and then Bertha Jorkins, she disappeared in Albania, and that's definitely where Voldemort was rumored to be last._

 _Good luck on your first task,_

 _Love,_

 _Sirius_

"You knew?" Harry asked.

"Yes" Gienah said with a sigh. "But what would come of getting you involved? You have a dragon to face next week."

Harry didn't say anything.

"Let's just try and keep you alive until Tuesday evening," Hermione said desperately, "and then we can worry about Karkaroff."

They spoke all night, trying to think of a simple spell that would subdue a dragon. Nothing whatsoever occurred to them, so they retired to the library instead. Here, Harry pulled down every book he could find on dragons, and both of them set to work searching through the large pile.

"Talon-clipping by charms...treating scale-rot...' This is no good, this is for nutters like Hagrid who want to keep them healthy..."

Gienah coughed.

"Dragons are extremely difficult to slay, owing to the ancient magic that imbues their thick hides, which none but the most powerful spells can penetrate...' But Sirius said a simple one would do it..."

"Let's try some simple spellbooks, then," said Harry, throwing aside Men Who Love Dragons Too Much. "You would think living on a safari we would know how to slay a dragon".

"We are dragonkeepers Harry!" Gienah said sourly.

"Yes but all the same, we ought to know how to subdue them."

Gienah returned to the table with a pile of spellbooks, set them down, and began to flick through each in turn, Hermione whispering nonstop at her elbow.

"Well, there are Switching Spells...but what's the point of Switching it? Unless you swapped its fangs for wine-gums or something that would make it less dangerous...The trouble is, like that book said, not much is going to get through a dragon's hide...I'd say Transfigure it, but something that big, you really haven't got a hope, I doubt even Professor McGonagall...unless you're supposed to put the spell on yourself? Maybe to give yourself extra powers? But they're not simple spells, I mean, we haven't done any of those in class, I only know about them because I've been doing O.W.L. practice papers..."

"Hermione," Harry said, through gritted teeth, "will you shut up for a bit, please? I'm trying to concentrate."

"Maybe we're taking the wrong approach" Gienah said closing the last book. "It's not the dragon we need to subdue. What you need, is something in your favor…"

"Oh no, he's back again, why can't he read on his stupid ship?" said Hermione irritably as Viktor Krum slouched in, cast a surly look over at the pair of them, and settled himself in a distant corner with a pile of books. "Come on, we'll go back to the common room...his fan club'll be here in a moment, twittering away..."

And sure enough, as they left the library, a gang of girls tiptoed past them, one of them wearing a Bulgaria scarf tied around her waist.

Monday afternoon Hermione and GIenah retreated to the library once again to find anything that would hinder a dragon when Harry came running in with Madame Pince throwing daggers at him.

"I need to learn how to do a Summoning Charm properly by tomorrow afternoon."

And so they practiced. They didn't have lunch, but headed for a free classroom, where Harry tried with all his might to make various objects fly across the room toward him. He was still having problems. The books and quills kept losing heart halfway across the room and dropping hike stones to the floor.

"Concentrate, Harry, concentrate..."

"What d'you think I'm trying to do?" said Harry angrily. "A great big dragon keeps popping up in my head for some reason...Okay, try again..."

In the evening they returned to the empty classroom, using the Invisibility Cloak to avoid the teachers. They kept practicing until past midnight. They would have stayed longer, but Peeves turned up and, pretending to think that Harry wanted things thrown at him, started chucking chairs across the room. They left in a hurry before the noise attracted Filch, and went back to the Gryffindor common room, which was now mercifully empty.

At two o'clock in the morning, Harry stood near the fireplace, surrounded by heaps of objects: books, quills, several upturned chairs, an old set of Gobstones, and Neville's toad, Trevor. Only in the last hour had Harry really got the hang of the Summoning Charm.

"That's better, Harry, that's loads better," Hermione said, looking exhausted but very pleased.

"Well, now we know what to do next time I can't manage a spell," Harry said, throwing a rune dictionary back to Hermione, so he could try again, "threaten me with a dragon. Right..." He raised his wand once more. "Accio Dictionary!"

The heavy book soared out of Hermione's hand, flew across the room, and Harry caught it.

"Harry, I really think you've got it" said Gienah said with a yawn.

"Just as long as it works tomorrow," Harry said. "The Firebolt's going to be much farther away than the stuff in here, it's going to be in the castle, and I'm going to be out there on the grounds..."

"That doesn't matter," said Gienah firmly." Just as long as you're concentrating really, really hard on it, it'll come."

Lessons were to stop at noon that day for the task to take place in the afternoo. Gienah smiled at him as Harry sat down opposite him.

"You've been dealing with dragons for the last three years Harry." Gienah reassured him. "You'll be fine."

"Ethal's been tamed since she was a newborn Gen" Harry said looking absolutely terrified.

Gienah knew not another word could comfort him and left him to eat in silence. A few minutes later, and a plate untouched, Professor McGonagall was hurrying over to Harry in the Great Hall.

"Potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now...You have to get ready for your first task."

"Okay," said Harry, standing up, his fork falling onto his plate with a clatter.

Gienah winked at him before he left.

"You don't seem at all nervous" Hermione said as she wringed her hands.

"Dragons are deeply misunderstood creatures." Gienah said.

"What did Cedric say when you told him that?"

"Shook his head and went back to his book." Gienah laughed.

"What's Cedric doing then?" Hermione asked.

"No clue" Gienah replied honestly. "He said something about not wanting me to split loyalties."

After they finished their lunch Gienah, Hermione and Ginny walked out to the forest together. Crowds of people followed with the adrenaline only Quidditch could really bring. Gienah felt it was nice to be on the other side of the game. Fred and George had made huge banners. As they neared the clearing they saw a stadium had been built surrounding the trees. It was three times larger than the quidditch pitch and the seats were further off the ground. They walked up the stairs for a few minutes before they could properly enter the stand. Gienah felt her heart beat faster as she saw the beautiful Swedish Short-Snout pulling at her chains, her nose breathing steam.

Her scales were silvery blue and Gienah knew her powerful flame was also a brilliant blue colour - hot enough to reduce timber and bone to ashes in seconds. She suddenly felt Harry's fear as she saw her eggs beside her. Among the creamy shells there was a golden egg and Gienah knew at once what Harry had to do. If there was one thing Dragon mothers were it was protective. She didn't envy the champions one bit.

"Harry won't have trouble getting that one in the air if he gets her." Gienah said as they sat down on the front row. "Oh Charlie!"

Gienah waved frantically as Charlie walked through the clearing waving his wand to cool the air. The enclosed space was making the dragon warm and irritable.

"Gienah" Charlie smiled. "Shame it isn't you on this side. You'd be having tea and scones instead of battling to the death."

Gienah laughed.

"How is Cassie and Tonks?" Gienah asked.

"Bella's been taking care of Cassie while we're at work." Charlie sighed. "She refused to take a break. I'm working part time though and we're practically moved in at the cottage. Alyssandra's been great help. Got to go Gen, talk to you later!"

Their was a sharp whistle and Bagman's voice thundered from all corners of the stadium.

"Welcome to the first Triwizard Tournament since 1972!" Bagman shouted over the cheering of the crowd. "Our four champions are Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour, Victor Krum aaand Harry Potter!"

Fred and George began waving their banners over their heads and stamped their feet as Harry's name was called. Gienah was jumping up and down waving a flag with Harry's face on it. Gienah laughed and decided she didn't get to do this much so she sent up sparks into the stadium streaming down in red and gold before they began dancing above the stadium into the words HARRY POTTER.

"Show off." Hermione laughed as there were oohs and aahs from the crowd.

"The instructions given to the champions is very simple. Get the golden egg. Our first Champion is a sixth year Hufflepuff, Cedric Diggory, he hopes to follow in his father's footsteps in a career in Magical Creatures. Please welcome to the stadium MR. CEDRIC DIGGORY!"

Gienah whistled as she saw Cedric enter the stadium, looking comically tiny compared to the eighteen feet dragon.

Cedric was clutching his wand as the Short-Snout looked at him lazily, daring him to make a move. Cedric began to run forward, taking shelter from behind the massive slabs of rock every time she breathed fire. She looked like an annoyed housewife, trying to swat a fat fly. But he was getting close and finally she reared her wings and sent a large stream of fire, Cedric had only managed to miss the flames.

"Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow" Bagman said quietly.

The crowd screamed...yelled...gasped like a single many-headed entity.

Cedric then waved his wand at a rock behind him and transfigured the stone into a labrador. The dog barked with life and began running the opposite direction to Cedric's. Gienah groaned.

"He's taking risks, this one!" Bagman said as the dragon began to chase the dog but then, halfway through the dragon returned her sights to Cedric. Gienah screamed and attempted to climb into the stadium but was held back by Hermione and Fred.

"Clever move - pity it didn't work!" Bagman shouted.

Cedric was running for his life, throwing freeze charms behind him as he wrapped his arm around the golden egg. At once the dragon keepers came into the stadium and subdued the dragon with a dozen stunning spells at once. Gienah sighed a breath of relief as she saw Cedric was still standing, though with a gash on his shoulder.

"Very good indeed!" Bagman was shouting. "And now the marks from the judges!"

Cedric received thirty five points, with Karkaroff awarding him a measly two.

"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"

Fleur had tried to put the dragon in a trance and ten minutes later she had retrieved the golden egg. Gienah applauded politely as she was awarded thirty two.

The whistle was sounded for the third time.

"And here comes Mr. Krum!" cried Bagman.

"Very daring!" Bagman was yelling, the Chinese Fireball emit a horrible, roaring shriek, while the crowd drew its collective breath. Gienah recognized the Conjunctivitis Curse he used to blind the dragon but she stumbled and crushed half of the real eggs. Gienah whimpered.

"That's some nerve he's showing - and - yes, he's got the egg!"

Krum was awarded forty one points.

"A ten?!" Gienah screamed. "He's caused damage to the eggs you biased old fool!"

Finally the whistle blew for the fourth time. Harry emerged through a gap in the enclosure fence. The Horntail stood at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon him, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, heaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground.

He raised his wand.

"Accio Firebolt!" he shouted.

And then she heard it, speeding through the air, soaring into the enclosure, and stopping dead in midair beside him, waiting for him to mount.

"Would you look at that!" Bagman shouted. "The youngest champion's got himself a broomstick"

Harry swung his leg over the broom and kicked off from the ground. Harry looked down for a few seconds before he dived. The Horntail's head followed him; Harry seemed to know what it was going to do and pulled out of the dive just in time; a jet of fire had been released exactly where he would have been had he not swerved away…

"Great Scott, he can fly!" yelled Bagman as the crowd shrieked and gasped. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"

Harry soared higher in a circle; the Horntail was still following his progress; its head revolving on its long neck - if he kept this up, it would be nicely dizzy - but better not push it too long, or it would be breathing fire again -

Harry plummeted just as the Horntail opened its mouth, but this time he was less lucky - he missed the flames, but the tail came whipping up to meet him instead, and as he swerved to the left, one of the long spikes grazed his shoulder, ripping his robes -

Gienah was standing up, her hands clenching tightly against the scaffolding.

The Horntail didn't seem to want to take off, she was too protective of her eggs. Though she writhed and twisted, furling and unfurling her wings and keeping those fearsome yellow eyes on Harry, she was afraid to move too far from them…

He began to fly, first this way, then the other, not near enough to make her breathe fire to stave him off, but still posing a sufficient threat to ensure she kept her eyes on him. Her head swayed this way and that, watching him out of those vertical pupils, her fangs bared...

He flew higher. The Horntail's head rose with him, her neck now stretched to its fullest extent, still swaying, hike a snake before its charmer...

Harry rose a few more feet, and she let out a roar of exasperation. Her tail thrashed again, but he was too high to reach now...She shot fire into the air, which he dodged...Her jaws opened wide...

And then she reared, spreading her great, black, leathery wings at last, as wide as those of a small airplane - and Harry dived. Gienah cheered and punched the air.

Before the dragon knew what he had done, or where he had disappeared to, he was speeding toward the ground as fast as he could go, toward the eggs now unprotected by her clawed front legs - he had taken his hands off his Firebolt - he had seized the golden egg -

And with a huge spurt of speed, he was off, he was soaring out over the stands, the heavy egg safely under his uninjured arm.

"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"

The dragon keepers rushed forward to subdue the Horntail. Gienah ran down the stairs and round the stadium to find Harry and Cedric. Hermione followed after her and Ron followed her. Gienah ran past Professor McGonagall and into the tent.

Harry was just leaving the tent when she sprinted up to him and threw her arms around him.

"Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione said squeakily. There were fingernail marks on her face where she had been clutching it in fear. "You were amazing! You really were!"

But Harry was looking at Ron, who was very white and staring at Harry as though he were a ghost.

"Harry," he said, very seriously, "whoever put your name in that goblet - I - I reckon they're trying to do you in!"

Gienah shook her head and left the two to it as she looked around for Cedric.

"Cedric" Gienah sighed, walking up to him and flinching as she saw the burn. "Karkaroff is a rotten judge. Honestly."

"How was Harry?" Cedric asked, attempting a smile.

"Wonderful" Gienah said honestly.

"Sounded like it" Cedric nodded. "Should've thought about a broomstick. But I guess he had all the help he could have had."

"Cedric.." Gienah said quietly. "I did offer."

"Right." Cedric said, and didn't say another word.

Gienah left him then, thinking he may need some time for himself and returned to see the points for Harry.

"It's marks out of ten from each one," Ron said, and Harry squinting up the field, saw the first judge - Madame Maxime - raise her wand in the air. What hooked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure eight.

"Not bad!" said Ron as the crowd applauded. "I suppose she took marks off for your shoulder..."

Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air.

"Looking good!" Ron yelled, thumping Harry on the back.

Next, Dumbledore. He too put up a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever.

Ludo Bagman - ten.

"Ten?" said Harry in disbelief. "But...I got hurt...What's he playing at?"

"Harry, don't complain!" Ron yelled excitedly.

And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too - four.

"What?" Ron bellowed furiously. "Four? You lousy, biased scum-bag, you gave Krum ten!"

"The man should be disqualified" Gienah growled.

"You're tied in first place, Harry! You and Krum!" said Charlie Weasley, hurrying to meet them as they set off back toward the school. "Listen, I've got to run, I've got to go and send Mum an owl, I swore I'd tell her what happened - but that was unbelievable! Oh yeah - and they told me to tell you you've got to hang around for a few more minutes...Bagman wants a word, back in the champions' tent."

Gienah waited for Harry with Ron and Hermione and smiled lazily. If the other two tasks were going to be like this one, she reckoned Harry had a fighting chance after all.


	35. A Family Christmas

Chapter Thirty-Nine: **A Family Christmas**

When Gienah, Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the Gryffindor common room it exploded with cheers and yells again. There were mountains of cakes and flagons of pumpkin juice and butterbeer on every surface; Lee Jordan had let off some Filibuster's Fireworks, so that the air was thick with stars and sparks; and Dean Thomas, who was very good at drawing, had put up some impressive new banners, most of which depicted Gienah zooming around the Horntail's head on his Firebolt, though a couple showed Cedric with his head on fire.

"Blimey, this is heavy," said Lee Jordan, picking up the golden egg, which Harry had left on a table, and weighing it in his hands. "Open it, Harry, go on! Let's just see what's inside it!"

"Yeah, go on, Harry, open it!" several people echoed.

Lee passed Harry the egg, and Harry dug his fingernails into the groove that ran all the way around it and prised it open. It was hollow and completely empty - but the moment Harry opened it, the most horrible noise, a loud and screechy wailing, filled the room.

Gienah gasped.

"Shut it!" Fred bellowed, his hands over his ears.

"What was that?" said Seamus Finnigan, staring at the egg as Harry slammed it shut again. "Sounded like a banshee...Maybe you've got to get past one of those next, Harry!"

"It was someone being tortured!" said Neville, who had gone very white and spilled sausage rolls all over the floor. "You're going to have to fight the Cruciatus Curse!"

"Don't be a prat, Neville, that's illegal," said George. "They wouldn't use the Cruciatus Curse on the champions. I thought it sounded a bit like Percy singing...maybe you've got to attack him while he's in the shower. Harry."

Several people chortled. Gienah remained tight lipped and Hermione noticed. Unable to relax she brought out her Charms homework and sat in the corner, munching on some jam tarts. It was nearly one in the morning when most people had left the dormitory.

"How can you write an essay while you're in the middle of a party?" Ron said, patting his bloated stomach as he stretched out on the sofa.

"Harry" Gienah said urgently as the twins finally left for bed. "The egg-"

"Give him a break" Ron yawned.

"You can be such a prat!" Gienah said, throwing a cushion at him. "Harry, the screeching, it's mermish."

"Of course!" Hermione said excitedly.

"Do you understand it?" Harry asked, his eyes widened as he felt suddenly wide awake.

"A little" Gienah nodded. "But the solution is simple. Place the egg underwater and throw your head under. You can do it in the bath."

"You are a genius" Harry said, kissing her on the lips and ran off up the stairs with the egg.

"Harry?" Hermione called after him, shouting up the staircase.

"I think he's running a bath" Ron chuckled.

Twenty minutes later Harry returned to the common room, his head soaked and the egg in his hand.

" _Come seek us where our voices sound,_

 _We cannot sing above the ground,_

 _And while you're searching ponder this;_

 _We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

 _An hour long you'll have to look,_

 _And to recover what we took,_

 _But past an hour, the prospect's black,_

 _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."_

"You need to go underwater for an hour" Hermione said after some thought.

Harry nodded. Everyone was quiet for a few minutes.

"The only thing that comes to mind is partial transfiguration Harry" Gienah finally said.

"We've got more two months" Ron yawned.

"We'll hit the library tomorrow." Hermione agreed also looking quite exhausted.

The start of December brought wind and sleet to Hogwarts. Drafty though the castle always was in winter. Gienah was glad of its fires and thick walls every time she passed the Durmstrang ship on the lake, which was pitching in the high winds, its black sails billowing against the dark skies. She thought the Beauxbatons caravan was likely to be pretty chilly too. Hagrid, she noticed, was keeping Madame Maxime's horses well provided with their preferred drink of single-malt whiskey; the fumes wafting from the trough in the comer of their paddock was enough to make the entire Care of Magical Creatures class light-headed. This was unhelpful, as they were still tending the horrible skrewts and needed their wits about them.

Cedric continued to act coolly towards Gienah and every Friday night would come up with one excuse or another. Once he even said he had an important Gobstones meeting on. Gienah felt she could sympathise now with Cedric a year ago when she did the same thing, except, she was sure this was intentional.

Cedric cancelled again that night and Gienah ended up in Ginny's dormitory flicking through Ginny's impressive Witch Weekly collection. In the most recent one she saw a picture of Sirius and Alyssandra, walking down a street holding hands. Sirius was whispering in her ear and she was laughing, her hair blowing in the wind.

Gienah sighed.

"Cedric's being an idiot." Ginny said, watching her friend sprawled on her floor flicking through her magazines. "He's jealous you aren't fawning over him."

"You'd think he'd had enough girls fawning over him in the last few months" Gienah said bitterly.

"Are you going home for Christmas?" Luna asked.

"I'm going to have to." Gienah nodded. "Narcissa's due in January as well. Otherwise I won't see them till Easter and that's ages away."

The door slammed open.

"Genna" Hermione said breathlessly. "Come - down - kitchen - Dobby"

Gienah jumped up and ran downstairs, and was soon joined with Harry and Ron. down six flights of stairs and in front of the picture of the giant fruit bowl. Hermione stretched out her forefinger, and tickled the huge green pear. It began to squirm, chuckling, and suddenly turned into a large green door handle. Hermione seized it, pulled the door open, and pushed Harry hard in the back, forcing him inside.

Gienah had one brief glimpse of an enormous, high-ceilinged room, large as the Great Hall above it, with mounds of glittering brass pots and pans heaped around the stone walls, and a great brick fireplace at the other end, when something small hurtled toward him from the middle of the room, squealing, "Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!"

"D-Dobby?" Harry gasped.

"It is Dobby, sir, it is!" squealed the voice from somewhere around his navel. "Dobby has been hoping and hoping to see Harry Potter, sir, and Harry Potter has come to see him, sir!"

Dobby was wearing the strangest assortment of garments Gienah had ever seen; he had done an even worse job of dressing himself than the wizards at the World Cup. He was wearing a tea cozy for a hat, on which he had pinned a number of bright badges; a tie patterned with horseshoes over a bare chest, a pair of what looked like children's soccer shorts, and odd socks. One was black and worn, the other was covered in pink and orange stripes.

"Dobby, what're you doing here?" Harry said in amazement.

"Dobby has come to work at Hogwarts, sir!" Dobby squealed excitedly. "Professor Dumbledore gave Dobby and Winky jobs, sir!

"Winky?" said Harry. "She's here too?"

"Yes, sir, yes!" said Dobby.

At least a hundred little elves were standing around the kitchen, beaming, bowing, and curtsying as Dobby led Harry past them. They were all wearing the same uniform: a tea towel stamped with the Hogwarts crest, and tied, as Winky's had been, like a toga.

Dobby stopped in front of the brick fireplace and pointed.

"Winky, sir!" he said.

Winky was sitting on a stool by the fire. Unlike Dobby, she had obviously not foraged for clothes. She was wearing a neat little skirt and blouse with a matching blue hat, which had holes in it for her large ears. However, while every one of Dobby's strange collection of garments was so clean and well cared for that it looked brand-new, Winky was plainly not taking care other clothes at all. There were soup stains all down her blouse and a burn in her skirt.

"Hello, Winky," said Harry.

Winky's lip quivered. Then she burst into tears, which spilled out of her great brown eyes and splashed down her front.

"Oh dear," said Hermione. "Winky, don't cry, please don't..."

But Winky cried harder than ever. Dobby, on the other hand, beamed up at Harry.

"Would Harry Potter like a cup of tea?" he squeaked loudly, over Winky's sobs.

"Er - yeah, okay," said Harry.

Instantly, about six house-elves came trotting up behind him, bearing a large silver tray laden with a teapot, cups for Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, a milk jug, and a large plate of biscuits.

"Good service!" Ron said, in an impressed voice. Hermione frowned at him, but the elves all looked delighted; they bowed very low and retreated.

"How long have you been here, Dobby?" Harry asked as Dobby handed around the tea.

"Only a week. Harry Potter, sir!" said Dobby happily. "Dobby came to see Professor Dumbledore, sir. You see, sir, it is very difficult for a house-elf who has been dismissed to get a new position, sir, very difficult indeed -"

At this, Winky howled even harder, her squashed-tomato of a nose dribbling all down her front, though she made no effort to stem the flow.

"Dobby has traveled the country for two whole years, sir, trying to find work!" Dobby squeaked. "But Dobby hasn't found work, sir, because Dobby wants paying now!"

The house-elves all around the kitchen, who had been listening and watching with interest, all looked away at these words, as though Dobby had said something rude and embarrassing. Hermione, however, said, "Good for you, Dobby!"

"Thank you, miss!" said Dobby, grinning toothily at her. "But most wizards doesn't want a house-elf who wants paying, miss. 'That's not the point of a house-elf,' they says, and they slammed the door in Dobby's face! Dobby likes work, but he wants to wear clothes and he wants to be paid. Harry Potter...Dobby likes being free!"

The Hogwarts house-elves had now started edging away from Dobby, as though he were carrying something contagious.

"And then, Harry Potter, Dobby goes to visit Winky, and finds out Winky has been freed too, sir!" said Dobby delightedly.

At this, Winky flung herself forward off her stool and lay face-down on the flagged stone floor, beating her tiny fists upon it and positively screaming with misery.

"And then Dobby had the idea. Harry Potter, sir! 'Why doesn't Dobby and Winky find work together?' Dobby says. 'Where is there enough work for two house-elves?' says Winky. And Dobby thinks, and it comes to him, sir! Hogwarts! So Dobby and Winky came to see Professor Dumbledore, sir, and Professor Dumbledore took us on!"

Dobby beamed very brightly, and happy tears welled in his eyes again.

"And Professor Dumbledore says he will pay Dobby, sir, if Dobby wants paying! And so Dobby is a free elf, sir, and Dobby gets a Galleon a week and one day off a month!"

"That's not very much!" Hermione shouted indignantly from the floor, over Winky's continued screaming and fist-beating.

"Professor Dumbledore offered Dobby ten Galleons a week, and weekends off," said Dobby, suddenly giving a little shiver, as though the prospect of so much leisure and riches were frightening, "but Dobby beat him down, miss...Dobby likes freedom, miss, but he isn't wanting too much, miss, he likes work better."

"And how much is Professor Dumbledore paying you, Winky?" Hermione asked kindly.

If she had thought this would cheer up Winky, she was wildly mistaken. Winky did stop crying, but when she sat up she was glaring at Hermione through her massive brown eyes, her whole face sopping wet and suddenly furious.

"Winky is a disgraced elf, but Winky is not yet getting paid!" she squeaked. "Winky is not sunk so low as that! Winky is properly ashamed of being freed!"

"Ashamed?" said Hermione blankly. "But - Winky, come on! It's Mr. Crouch who should be ashamed, not you! You didn't do anything wrong, he was really horrible to you -"

But at these words, Winky clapped her hands over the holes in her hat, flattening her ears so that she couldn't hear a word, and screeched, "You is not insulting my master, miss! You is not insulting Mr. Crouch! Mr. Crouch is a good wizard, miss! Mr. Crouch is right to sack bad Winky!"

"Winky is having trouble adjusting, Harry Potter," squeaked Dobby confidentially. "Winky forgets she is not bound to Mr. Crouch anymore; she is allowed to speak her mind now, but she won't do it."

"Can't house-elves speak their minds about their masters, then?" Harry asked.

"Oh no, sir, no," said Dobby, looking suddenly serious. "'Tis part of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. We keeps their secrets and our silence, sir. We upholds the family's honor, and we never speaks ill of them - though Professor Dumbledore told Dobby he does not insist upon this. Professor Dumbledore said we is free to - to -"

Dobby looked suddenly nervous and beckoned Harry closer. Harry bent forward. Dobby whispered, "He said we is free to call him a - a barmy old codger if we likes, sir!"

Dobby gave a frightened sort of giggle.

"Oh you is a bad elf, Dobby!" moaned Winky, tears leaking down her face once more. "My poor Mr. Crouch, what is he doing without Winky? He is needing me, he is needing my help! I is looking after the Crouches all my life, and my mother is doing it before me, and my grandmother is doing it before her...oh what is they saying if they knew Winky was freed? Oh the shame, the shame!" She buried her face in her skirt again and bawled.

"Winky," said Hermione firmly, "I'm quite sure Mr. Crouch is getting along perfectly well without you. We've seen him, you know -"

"You is seeing my master?" said Winky breathlessly, raising her tearstained face out of her skirt once more and goggling at Hermione. "You is seeing him here at Hogwarts?"

"Yes," said Hermione, "he and Mr. Bagman are judges in the Triwizard Tournament."

"Mr. Bagman comes too?" squeaked Winky, and to Harry 's great surprise (and Gienah's and Ron's and Hermione's too, by the looks on their faces), she looked angry again. "Mr. Bagman is a bad wizard! A very bad wizard! My master isn't liking him, oh no, not at all!"

"Bagman - bad?" said Gienah.

"Oh yes," Winky said, nodding her head furiously, "My master is telling Winky some things! But Winky is not saying...Winky - Winky keeps her master's secrets..."

She dissolved yet again in tears; they could hear her sobbing into her skirt, "Poor master, poor master, no Winky to help him no more!"

They couldn't get another sensible word out of Winky. They left her to her crying and finished their tea, while Dobby chatted happily about his life as a free elf and his plans for his wages.

The bell was due to ring at any moment, Gienah was doodling on her parchment, and Harry and Ron, who had been having a sword fight with a couple of Fred and George's fake wands at the back of the class, looked up as Professor McGonagall berated them. Ron was holding a tin parrot and Harry, a rubber haddock.

"Now that Potter and Weasley have been kind enough to act their age," said Professor McGonagall, with an angry look at the pair of them as the head of Harry's haddock drooped and fell silently to the floor - Ron's parrot's beak had severed it moments before - "I have something to say to you all.

"The Yule Ball is approaching - a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above - although you may invite a younger student if you wish -"

Lavender Brown let out a shrill giggle.

"Dress robes will be worn," Professor McGonagall continued, "and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then -"

Professor McGonagall stared deliberately around the class.

"The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to - er - let our hair down," she said, in a disapproving voice.

"But that does NOT mean," Professor McGonagall went on, "that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."

The bell rang, and there was the usual scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and swung them onto their shoulders.

Professor McGonagall called above the noise, "Potter - a word, if you please."

Gienah smiled when Harry told her later he was expected to have a partner. He had noticed the way he'd been looking at Cho Chang. Perhaps he would rise to the occasion.

The last week of term became increasingly boisterous as it progressed. Rumors about the Yule Ball were flying everywhere. It seemed to be fact, however, that he had booked the Weird Sisters. Some of the teachers, like little Professor Flitwick, gave up trying to teach them much when their minds were so clearly elsewhere. Other teachers were not so generous. Nothing would ever deflect Professor Binns, for example, from plowing on through his notes on goblin rebellions - as Binns hadn't let his own death stand in the way of continuing to teach, they supposed a small thing like Christmas wasn't going to put him off. It was amazing how he could make even bloody and vicious goblin riots sound as boring as Percy's cauldron-bottom report. Professors McGonagall and Moody kept them working until the very last second of their classes too, and Snape, of course, would no sooner let them play games in class than adopt Harry. Staring nastily around at them all, he informed them that he would be testing them on poison antidotes during the last lesson of the term.

Gienah and Cedric weren't even talking anymore. Gienah had told him since she'd found out Andromeda was expecting that she was going home for Christmas. And Cedric hadn't even had the courtesy to ask. He had assumed she would go with him.

"You expected me to take someone else?" Cedric asked in disbelief.

"Because you have to!" Gienah said. "Not because you wanted to. I was going to suggest taking Ginny. As a friendly favour."

Cedric had shaken his head and walked off.

On Friday Harry returned to the common room looking crushed. Ron too was in shock.

"She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. Didn't even answer. And then - I dunno - I just sort of came to my senses and ran for it."

"She's part veela," said Harry. "You were right - her grandmother was one. It wasn't your fault, I bet you just walked past when she was turning on the old charm for Diggory and got a blast of it - but she was wasting her time. He's going with Cho Chang."

"WHAT!" Gienah shouted.

"You did ask him to ask someone else" Ron pointed out.

"Someone like Ginny or Hermione, not Cho bloody Chang!"

"Excuse me?" Ginny folded her arms.

"Because you two aren't interested in him" Gienah quickly explained. "Everyone knows Chang's got a thing for Quidditch players."

"Well I have a date" Ginny said quietly.

"This is mad," said Ron. "We're the only ones left who haven't got anyone - well, except Neville. Hey - guess who he asked? Hermione!"

"What?" said Harry, completely distracted by this startling news.

"Yeah, I know!" said Ron, some of the color coming back into his face as he started to laugh. "He told me after Potions! Said she's always been really nice, helping him out with work and stuff- but she told him she was already going with someone. Ha! As if! She just didn't want to go with Neville...I mean, who would?"

"Don't!" said Ginny, annoyed. "Don't laugh -"

Just then Hermione climbed in through the portrait hole.

"Why weren't you two at dinner?" she said, coming over to join them.

"Because - oh shut up laughing, you two - because they've both just been turned down by girls they asked to the ball!" said Ginny.

That shut Harry and Ron up.

"Thanks a bunch, Ginny," said Ron sourly.

"All the good-looking ones taken, Ron?" said Hermione loftily. "Eloise Midgen starting to look quite pretty now, is she? Well, I'm sure you'll find someone somewhere who'll have you."

But Ron was staring at Hermione as though suddenly seeing her in a whole new light.

"Hermione, Neville's right - you are a girl..."

"Oh well spotted," she said acidly.

"Well - you can come with one of us!"

"No, I can't," snapped Hermione.

"Oh come on," he said impatiently, "we need partners, we're going to look really stupid if we haven't got any, everyone else has..."

"I can't come with you," said Hermione, now blushing, "because I'm already going with someone."

"No, you're not!" said Ron. "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"

"Oh did I?" said Hermione, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"

Ron stared at her. Then he grinned again.

"Okay, okay, we know you're a girl," he said. "That do? Will you come now?"

"I've already told you!" Hermione said very angrily. "I'm going with someone else!"

And she stormed off toward the girls' dormitories again.

"She's lying," said Ron flatly, watching her go.

"She's not," said Ginny quietly.

"Who is it then?" said Ron sharply.

"I'm not telling you, it's her business," said Ginny.

"Right," said Ron, who looked extremely put out, "this is getting stupid. Ginny, you can go with Harry, and I'll just -"

"I can't," said Ginny, and she went scarlet too. "I'm going with - with Neville."

"You've got to be kidding me" Ron said.

"No, I'm not!" Ginny said before storming out.

Gienah glared at the pair of them and ran after her.

Saturday morning Gienah was down in the great hall with her trunk in her hand searching for Cedric. Giving up she walked out to the entrance hall where Hermione and Ginny were waiting with Luna.

"No luck?" Luna asked.

Gienah shook her head.

"Write him a letter when you get home." Ginny said, hugging her.

Luna and Gienah waved goodbye as the carriages whisked them away. It didn't feel like Christmas. Usually there were more people leaving for the holiday but the Yule Ball had led to the largest amount of students signing up than she'd ever seen. All she could see in her mind was images of Cedric and Cho in their dress robes, dancing romantically with the other school champions. When had it gone so wrong?

"What do you think of Ginny and Neville?" Luna asked suddenly as the train began to leave the platform.

"I thought she liked Harry" Gienah sighed, looking at the silver eyed girl in front of her.

"Ginny does like Harry" Luna said. "But she's decided she won't wait for him forever."

"What am I going to do with Cedric Luna?" Gienah asked her quietly.

"If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they were meant to be." Luna said with a smile.

Gienah read Wuthering Heights for the first time for the rest of the journey. She was taken in by the dark tragic hero, Heathcliff and the beautiful heroine, Catherine.

"What do you think of Edgar Linton?" Luna asked, her wise eyes looking into hers. Gienah felt the question said more than it appeared.

"He is a good husband." Gienah said.

"And Heathcliffe?" Luna asked.

"I may be a little bit in love with him." Gienah confessed.

"I wouldn't worry." Luna said softly.

"Worry about?"

"Legends do not spring out of thin air Gienah Black" Luna said dreamily. "It manifests our darkest fears and our innermost beauty."

"You mean of the Nagual."

"Your children grow in number." Luna said. "A threat is looming upon our skies and our instincts take over, they save us before we are even aware."

"What instincts?" Gienah asked worriedly

"I wouldn't worry." Luna said again. "It was inevitable really."

"Are we speaking of Nagual?"

"Cedric may well leave you Gienah, but you will forever remember him." Luna said before she fell asleep.

Gienah wondered what she meant by leaving him. Had she really lost her first love?

Sirius met her at the train station and hugged her when she approached him.

"Oh my little pumpkin." Sirius said.

"Where is your fiance?" Gienah said with an emphasis on the last word.

"Back at the cottage." Sirius said. "Remus is preparing dinner."

Luna and Gienah followed her father to the Leaky Cauldron and flooed home. Gienah sighed as she entered the familiar room and felt for a few weeks she may be able to leave her worries behind. She came in to find the house buzzing with noise. She could smell Lupin's home cooking, hear people talking and laughing, and children. The cottage was alive with magic.

"Gienah!" Lyra ran up to her and hugged her. Gienah noticed she was getting taller by the day.

"My word Lyra!" Gienah gasped. "How tall you are."

Lyra then hugged Luna and dragged the two of them to the crowded kitchen.

"Andromeda!" Gienah saw the tired looking witch sitting on the kitchen stool.

"Gienah love" Andromeda smiled.

Lupin kissed Gienah on the forehead. "How was the train journey?"

"I was reading" Gienah said. "Wuthering Heights."

"Mmm" Lupin said, turning his attention to the oven. "Yes.. I prefer Jane Eyre I think."

Tonks was single handedly cutting mushrooms while she held a small baby in her arms.

"Cassie" Gienah smiled, reaching out for the little baby.

"I can't believe she isn't crying." Tonks complained. "She keeps me up all night and when there are more hands than needed she's an angel. Don't let her deceive you Gen."

"Hello Cassie" Gienah whispered. "You are an angel, don't listen to grouchy mummy."

Cassie gurgled, her blue eyes twinkling and the tuft of hair a Weasley red.

"This helps tell them apart at least" Gienah said but as she said this, Cassie changed her hair to black and her eyes matched Gienah's.

"She does that if he likes you." Andromeda smiled.

"Who's here for dinner?" Lyra asked her mother.

"Charlie, Luna's father, Molly and Arthur." Andromeda said, thinking hard.

"Merlin, how was Molly?" Gienah suddenly remembered.

"She was crying hysterically before she hugged the life out of me." Tonks frowned. "Though she's convinced we're going to get married."

"Don't you want to marry him?" Gienah asked, having always thought they made a lovely couple.

"I'm twenty one" Tonks said. "It would kill my career."

"She refuses to go on maternity leave." Andromeda sighed.

"You didn't!" Tonks retorted.

"I work in a school Dora." Andromeda pointed out. "I'm not out there risking my life and chasing after criminals."

"Ha!" Tonks said. "Mostly pushing paper is what I'm doing. If I take even a month off, I'll be back at the bottom. Moody was just starting to show a bit of faith."

Andromeda shook her head.

"Hello" came a musical voice from behind her.

"Bella" Gienah smiled. "How is Mira?"

"Upstairs with Alyssandra." Bellatrix said with a hand on her hip. "What a godsend."

"Isn't she going to start her healing programme here?" Gienah asked.

"In January." Bella said. "But don't remind me. I don't know how I'll manage."

"Aren't you going to get a nanny?" Gienah asked.

"It'll be difficult finding someone we trust." Lupin said. "Bella darling, could you get started on the apple pie."

"At this rate it'll be me with Mira and Cassie" Bellatrix said as she began on the crumble.

"We'll manage" Lupin said, kissing her lightly.

Alyssandra came down as the table was set, holding a baby in her arms. She swooped down to kiss Gienah and then Luna.

Dinner was wonderful. Gienah missed sitting around with her family and was struck by how natural it was to have so many children around them. Sirius was completely and utterly in love with Alyssandra and eventually the conversation turned to the wedding. To everyone's surprise they insisted upon a small wedding and a small reception at the cottage afterwards.

"I have grown up with splendour" Alyssandra explained. "What I have with Sirius is honest and beautiful and it would only feel like a sham to invite people for the sake of filling the seats."

"I understand completely" Molly smiled, looking at Arthur. "We eloped."

Andromeda was also looking at her husband fondly.

Following dinner everyone huddled into the living room with cups of tea and hot chocolate. Luna was sat on the floor with Mira in her arms and Alyssandra with Cassie. Tonks, Ted, Charlie, Molly and Arthur had left as they had work in the morning and Bella had gone off hours ago for a nap. The television was on but no one was really paying attention. Lupin and Sirius were playing Chess. Andromeda had Lyra asleep on her lap.

Eventually Alyssandra put the children to bed. Gienah followed with Cassie in her arms. The nursery had another cot placed by Mira's.

"Cassie sleeps here seeing as there is always someone home." Alyssandra whispered.

Alyssandra invited her to Sirius's bedroom seeing as neither of them were tired. Sirius was still downstairs.

"I'm sorry for what your daughters will become" Gienah said.

"Nonsense" Alyssandra said, outraged. "It is society that must change. Not you."

"I'm glad you aren't burdened."

"I have always loved children" Alyssandra confessed, smiling as she sat back in her rocking chair. "I love that this house is filled with children. Can I tell you a secret?"

Gienah nodded.

"Both Bella and I are pregnant."

Gienah gasped.

"Your father doesn't know." Alyssandra laughed. "I wish to surprise him."

"Congratulations" Gienah said. "Will you live in the manor?"

"I know we must, but I have fallen in love with the romance here." Alyssandra said with a frown. "Maybe next Christmas. And really, we must find a nanny sooner than later."

They talked for an hour more. Gienah told her about Cedric and Alyssandra told her about her first love and soon Sirius came in and Gienah left for her bedroom. Unable to sleep she went to find Luna and snuggled up next to her.

The next morning the house was buzzing once more. Gienah could hear a baby crying from downstairs and the smell of coffee in the air. Luna and Gienah dressed quickly after their showers and went downstairs.

Alyssandra was changing Cassie's nappy while Mira cried as Bellatrix fed her.

"Good morning" Gienah said cheerfully.

"For some" Bellatrix grumbled. "Mira was awake all night."

Gienah smiled apologetically and walked into the kitchen and helped Lupin flip the pancakes as he set out the toppings on the dining table.

"Breakfast is ready!" Lupin cried and the women began to trickle in.

"What are we doing today?" Lyra asked, drowning her pancake in syrup.

"Cissy's coming round before we go shopping." Bellatrix yawned. "Last minute Christmas presents."

"I'll stay here. Too much homework I'd rather finish before Christmas." Gienah said.

"Don't blame you." Lupin muttered. "Narcissa's the size of a small whale and she isn't happy."

Bellatrix laughed.

"Oh Remus, Narcissa has her little spies everywhere." Bellatrix chuckled. "She's having twins, of course she isn't happy. I wonder how she manages to continue shopping."

"Lucius takes the brunt of it of course." Andromeda smiled.

"I think it may be a good idea." Alyssandra nodded. "Luna, did you need to buy anything?"

"We brought our presents in Hogsmeade ma'am" Luna said in her eery voice.

"Lovely" Alyssandra said. "Perhaps you, Luna, Pan and Lyra can stay here."

"Mira as well." Bellatrix said. "If that's alright with you."

"Of course" Luna smiled.

"That would be wonderful" Bellatrix smiled. "Cassie will be easier to manage."

"I could stay and keep an eye on Cassie" Lupin said hopefully only to get a glare from his fiery wife.

"Bella, Remus does have to do the food shopping." Andromeda reminded her.

"Very well" Bellatrix sighed.

The women giggled as Lupin grinned, looking as if Christmas had come early.

An hour later Narcissa came through in the flu and Lupin wasn't joking. The woman was as big as a house.

"Gienah" Narcissa smiled, managing to kiss her on the cheeks.

Following behind her a young man dressed as a manservant.

"You brought Alistair?" Alyssandra said with a tut.

"I need someone to help with the bags Alyssandra!" Narcissa said. "The kitchen can do without for a day."

Alyssandra shook her head though she smiled at her sister-in-law's antics. A few minutes later all the women in the house had left.

Lupin relaxed in his armchair for a few moments before Cassie started crying.

"I'll get her" Luna smiled. "Put your feet up Remus."

"We'll need to do the food shopping Gienah. Shall we get that over and done with?" Lupin asked.

Gienah nodded, putting down her Potions book.

They took Mira with them on a broomstick. She was strapped onto Lupin's chest, staring at wonder at the landscape beneath them. They spent over an hour buying everything needed for Christmas day.

"We can send Sirius with anything we've missed later" Lupin said, feeling tired out already.

They returned home to find Cassie fast asleep in Luna's arms. Pandora and Lyra were doing some colouring in the kitchen.

The days passed in much the same manner. Gienah studied when she wasn't babysitting or cooking. The house was a constant buzz of activity and in the evenings they were always overrun with guests. Tonks came everyday after work and a quick shower and left once Cassiopeia fell asleep. Molly stayed over most nights taking on the night shifts. Andromeda had moved in for the summer. Charlie, Ted and Mr. Lovegood were regulars at the dinner table. The Friday before Luna and Gienah returned to school Narcissa gave birth to two beautiful children. A boy and a girl. She named them Atria and Atlas. Bella was present at the birth and before Lucius could even see his children she charmed their hair a light blonde to match their fathers. The train journey back Gienah felt she'd left a part of her behind.


	36. The Second Task

Chapter Forty: **The Second Task**

The first day of the new term arrived much as every term following Christmas had always arrived. This side of the holiday exams began to loom over their days and a panic made itself clearer. Gienah set off to lessons, weighed down with books, parchment, and quills as usual.

Snow was still thick upon the grounds, and the greenhouse windows were covered in condensation so thick that they couldn't see out of them in Herbology. Nobody was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures much in this weather, though as Ron said, the skrewts would probably warm them up nicely, either by chasing them, or blasting off so forcefully that Hagrid's cabin would catch fire.

But when they had arrived they were not greeted by their large friend, instead a grey haired witch stood by the cabin scolding them for tardiness. Malfoy later happily cleared up what was going on.

 **DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE**

 _Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. In September of this year, he hired Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror, to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody's well-known habit of attacking anybody who makes a sudden movement in his presence. Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly when set beside the part-human Dumbledore employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures._

 _Rubeus Hagrid, who admits to being expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, has enjoyed the position of gamekeeper at the school ever since, a job secured for him by Dumbledore. Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the headmaster to secure the additional post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher, over the heads of many better-qualified candidates._

 _An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his newfound authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific creatures. While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to being "very frightening."_

 _'I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."_

 _Hagrid has no intention of ceasing his campaign of intimidation, however. In conversation with a Daily Prophet reporter last month, he admitted breeding creatures he has dubbed "Blast-Ended Skrewts," highly dangerous crosses between manti-cores and fire-crabs. The creation of new breeds of magical creature is, of course, an activity usually closely observed by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hagrid, however, considers himself to be above such petty restrictions._

 _"I was just having some fun," he says, before hastily changing the subject._

 _As if this were not enough, the Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not - as he has always pretended - a pure-blood wizard. He is not, in fact, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown._

 _Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring amongst themselves during the last century. The handful that remained joined the ranks of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and were responsible for some of the worst mass Muggle killings of his reign of terror._

 _While many of the giants who served He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were killed by Aurors working against the Dark Side, Fridwulfa was not among them. It is possible she escaped to one of the giant communities still existing in foreign mountain ranges. If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Frid-wulfa's son appears to have inherited her brutal nature._

 _In a bizarre twist, Hagrid is reputed to have developed a close friendship with the boy who brought around You-Know-Who's fall from power - thereby driving Hagrid's own mother, like the rest of You-Know-Who's supporters, into hiding. Perhaps Harry Potter is unaware of the unpleasant truth about his large friend - but Albus Dumbledore surely has a duty to ensure that Harry Potter, along with his fellow students, is warned about the dangers of associating with part-giants._

"How did that horrible Skeeter woman find out? You don't think Hagrid told her?" Hermione said, looking a little ill.

"No," said Harry, leading the way over to the Gryffindor table and throwing himself into a chair, furious. "He never even told us, did he? I reckon she was so mad he wouldn't give her loads of horrible stuff about me, she went ferreting around to get him back."

"Maybe she heard him telling Madame Maxime at the ball," said Hermione quietly.

"We'd have seen her in the garden!" said Ron. "Anyway, she's not supposed to come into school anymore, Hagrid said Dumbledore banned her..."

"Maybe she's got an Invisibility Cloak," said Harry, ladling chicken casserole onto his plate and splashing it everywhere in his anger. "Sort of thing she'd do, isn't it, hide in bushes listening to people."

"Like you and Ron did, you mean," said Gienah, looking pointedly at the pair.

"We weren't trying to hear him!" said Ron indignantly. "We didn't have any choice! The stupid prat, talking about his giantess mother where anyone could have heard him!"

"He needn't have to keep it a secret in the first place!" Gienah said.

"We don't all consider dragons cuddly pets" Ron said heatedly.

"We've got to go and see him," said Harry. "This evening, after Divination. Tell him we want him back...you do want him back?" he shot at Hermione.

"I - well, I'm not going to pretend it didn't make a nice change, having a proper Care of Magical Creatures lesson for once - but I do want Hagrid back, of course I do!" Hermione added hastily, quailing under Harry's furious stare.

So that evening after dinner, the three of them left the castle once more and went down through the frozen grounds to Hagrid's cabin. They knocked, and Fang's booming barks answered. Hagrid didn't answer and they walked back in the freezing cold looking thoroughly miserable.

What was worse, there was a Hogsmeade visit halfway through January and her relationship with Cedric seemed to be over. Gienah felt a strange loss come over every time they passed each other in corridors and he avoided her gaze. Unable to bear the preemptive mourning she found herself walking to the Hufflepuff basement one evening. The Hufflepuff's stared at her as she sat there, her posture unmoving and her face stoic. The clock chimed at eleven and still Gienah waited. A few minutes later Cedric entered and stared at her for a few moments.

"What are you doing here?" Cedric asked.

"You don't answer your letters, you run away from me when I approach you between classes." Gienah said. "What else was I meant to do?"

Cedric sat down.

"What did I do wrong?" Gienah asked, refusing to cry.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Cedric said softly.

Gienah looked up at him, attempting to understand but at a loss.

"I'm in love with you Gienah." Cedric said.

Gienah shook her head and was tempted to let out a derisive laugh.

"I am" Cedric said. "I love you so much it hurts. I love you so much it fucking terrifies me."

Gienah had never heard him swear before.

"I love you so much I would follow you the depths of hell and back." Cedric continued.

"You don't run away from the person you love" Gienah said, her eyes now glazed with glassy tears.

"I'm trying to explain" Cedric hesitated. "At first it was petty. I had girls throwing themselves at me and you seemed indifferent. You cheered for Harry in the first task. But then, the Yule Ball arrived and you were still going to go home. I considered it an honour. You again seemed indifferent. I didn't want you to leave me again. Last time, I - I suffered in silence. I refused to let you leave me. So I left you."

"Well, then. Go!" Gienah screamed.

"No." Cedric said gently. "I read your letters and I realized I was the one who was making you suffer. You returned and I didn't know how to say sorry. I keep planning these romantic gestures in my head. Each one more stupid than the last."

"You've been thinking all this for the past two months?" Gienah asked him wondrously. "And they say girls are complicated."

Cedric chuckled and then kissed her. Gienah felt starved of his kisses. Things became hurried, intense, almost violent. Cedric carried her to his bed and ravished her. Gienah moaned and sighed. She purred and clawed at his back, bit his neck and scratched his chest. Gienah slept in his bed that night but as he told her he loved her, something didn't feel right. She felt guilty but she whispered I love you back all the same. And all she could think was _he's my Linton_.

Gienah and Hermione ran to Hagrid's cabin the next evening following a run in at Hogsmeade with Rita Skeeter. Refusing her to allow Hagrid to isolate himself to even his friends they had decided to resolve the matter once and for all.

The curtains were still drawn, and they could hear Fang barking as they approached.

"Hagrid!" Hermione shouted, pounding on his front door. "Hagrid, that's enough! We know you're in there! Nobody cares if your mum was a giantess, Hagrid! You can't let that foul Skeeter woman do this to you! Hagrid, get out here, you're just being -"

The door opened. Hermione said, "About ti-!" and then stopped, very suddenly, because she had found herself face-to-face, not with Hagrid, but with Albus Dumbledore.

"Good afternoon," he said pleasantly, smiling down at them.

"We er we wanted to see Hagrid," said Hermione in a rather small voice.

"Yes, I surmised as much," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Why don't you come in?"

"Oh...um...okay," said Hermione.

They went into the cabin; Fang launched himself upon Gienah the moment he entered, barking madly and trying to lick her ears.

Hagrid was sitting at his table, where there were two large mugs of tea. He looked a real mess. His face was blotchy, his eyes swollen, and he had gone to the other extreme where his hair was concerned; far from trying to make it behave, it now looked like a wig of tangled wire.

"Hi, Hagrid," said Harry.

Hagrid looked up.

"'Lo," he said in a very hoarse voice.

"More tea, I think," said Dumbledore, closing the door behind Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, drawing out his wand, and twiddling it; a revolving tea tray appeared in midair along with a plate of cakes. Dumbledore magicked the tray onto the table, and everybody sat down. There was a slight pause, and then Dumbledore said, "Did you by any chance hear what Miss Granger was shouting, Hagrid?"

Hermione went slightly pink, but Dumbledore smiled at her and continued, "Gienah, Hermione, Harry, and Ron still seem to want to know you, judging by the way they were attempting to break down the door."

"Of course we still want to know you!" Harry said, staring at Hagrid. "You don't think anything that Skeeter cow - sorry, Professor," he added quickly, looking at Dumbledore.

"I have gone temporarily deaf and haven't any idea what you said. Harry," said Dumbledore, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the ceiling.

"Er-right," said Harry sheepishly. "I just meant-Hagrid, how could you think we'd care what that-woman-wrote about you?"

Two fat tears leaked out of Hagrid's beetle-black eyes and fell slowly into his tangled beard.

"Living proof of what I've been telling you, Hagrid," said Dumbledore, still looking carefully up at the ceiling. "I have shown you the letters from the countless parents who remember you from their own days here, telling me in no uncertain terms that if I sacked you, they would have something to say about it -"

"Not all of 'em," said Hagrid hoarsely. "Not all of 'em wan me ter stay."

"Really, Hagrid, if you are holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time," said Dumbledore, now peering sternly over his half-moon spectacles. "Not a week has passed since I became headmaster of this school when I haven't had at least one owl complaining about the way I run it. But what should I do? Barricade myself in my study and refuse to talk to anybody?"

"Yeh - yeh're not half-giant!" said Hagrid croakily.

"Hagrid, look what I've got for relatives!" Harry said furiously. "Look at the Dursleys!"

"An excellent point," said Professor Dumbledore. "My own brother, Aberforth, was prosecuted for practicing inappropriate charms on a goat. It was all over the papers, but did Aberforth hide? No, he did not! He held his head high and went about his business as usual! Of course, I'm not entirely sure he can read, so that may not have been bravery..."

"Come back and teach, Hagrid," said Gienah quietly, "please come back, we really miss you."

Hagrid gulped. More tears leaked out down his cheeks and into his tangled beard.

Dumbledore stood up. "I refuse to accept your resignation, Hagrid, and I expect you back at work on Monday," he said. "You will join me for breakfast at eight-thirty in the Great Hall. No excuses. Good afternoon to you all."

Dumbledore left the cabin, pausing only to scratch Fangs ears. When the door had shut behind him, Hagrid began to sob into his dustbin-lid-sized hands. Hermione kept patting his arm, and at last, Hagrid looked up, his eyes very red indeed, and said, "Great man, Dumbledore...great man..."

"Yeah, he is," said Ron. "Can I have one of these cakes, Hagrid?"

"Help yerself," said Hagrid, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand. "Ar, he's righ', o' course - yeh're all righ'...I bin stupid...my ol' dad woulda bin ashamed o' the way I've bin behavin'..." More tears leaked out, but he wiped them away more forcefully, and said, "Never shown you a picture of my old dad, have I? Here..."

Hagrid got up, went over to his dresser, opened a drawer, and pulled out a picture of a short wizard with Hagrid's crinkled black eyes, beaming as he sat on top of Hagrid's shoulder. Hagrid was a good seven or eight feet tall, judging by the apple tree beside him, but his face was beardless, young, round, and smooth - he looked hardly older than eleven.

"Tha was taken jus' after I got inter Hogwarts," Hagrid croaked. "Dad was dead chuffed...thought I migh' not be a wizard, see, 'cos me mum...well, anyway. 'Course, I never was great shakes at magic, really...but at least he never saw me expelled. Died, see, in me second year..."

"Dumbledore was the one who stuck up for me after Dad went. Got me the gamekeeper job...trusts people, he does. Gives 'em second chances...tha's what sets him apar' from other heads, see. He'll accept anyone at Hogwarts, s'long as they've got the talent."

"Yeh know wha, Harry?" he said, looking up from the photograph of his father, his eyes very bright, "when I firs' met you, you reminded me o' me a bit. Mum an' Dad gone, an' you was feelin' like yeh wouldn' fit in at Hogwarts, remember? Not sure yeh were really up to it...an' now look at yeh, Harry! School champion!"

He looked at Harry for a moment and then said, very seriously, "Yeh know what I'd love. Harry? I'd love yeh ter win, I really would. It'd show 'em all...yeh don' have ter be pureblood ter do it. Yeh don have ter be ashamed of what yeh are. It'd show 'em Dumbledore's the one who's got it righ', lettin' anyone in as long as they can do magic. How you doin' with that egg, Harry?"

"Great," said Harry. "Really great."

Hagrid's miserable face broke into a wide, watery smile.

"Tha's my boy...you show 'em, Harry, you show 'em. Beat 'em all."

Feeling guilty about lying to Hagrid they set off to the library that evening. Ron quite liked the idea of using the Summoning Charm again - Harry had explained about Aqua-Lungs, and Ron couldn't see why Harry shouldn't Summon one from the nearest Muggle town. Hermione squashed this plan by pointing out that, in the unlikely event that Harry managed to learn how to operate an Aqua-Lung within the set limit of an hour, he was sure to be disqualified for breaking the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy - it was too much to hope that no Muggles would spot an Aqua-Lung zooming across the countryside to Hogwarts.

"Of course, the ideal solution would be for you to Transfigure yourself into a submarine or something," Hermione said. "If only we'd done human Transfiguration already! But I don't think we start that until sixth year, and it can go badly wrong if you don't know what you're doing..."

"Yeah, I don't fancy walking around with a periscope sticking out of my head," said Harry. "I s'pose I could always attack someone in front of Moody; he might do it for me..."

"I don't think he'd let you choose what you wanted to be turned into, though," said Hermione seriously. "No, I think your best chance is some sort of charm."

The four of them buried himself once more among the dusty volumes, looking for any spell that might enable a human to survive without oxygen. However, though they searched through their lunchtimes, evenings, and whole weekends - though Harry asked Professor McGonagall for a note of permission to use the Restricted Section, and even asked the irritable, vulture-like librarian. Madam Pince, for help - they found nothing whatsoever that would enable Harry to spend an hour underwater and live to tell the tale.

By the evening before the second task they were still at a loss. Gienah kept going back to transfiguration but learning the summoning charm overnight was one thing. Transfiguring yourself into a fish was quite another ball park. They sat in the library as the sun set outside, tearing feverishly through page after page of spells, hidden from one another by the massive piles of books on the desk in front of each of them.

"I don't reckon it can be done," said Ron's voice flatly from the other side of the table. "There's nothing. Nothing. Closest was that thing to dry up puddles and ponds, that Drought Charm, but that was nowhere near powerful enough to drain the lake."

"There must be something," Hermione muttered, moving a candle closer to her. Her eyes were so tired she was poring over the tiny print of Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes with her nose about an inch from the page. "They'd never have set a task that was undoable."

"They have," said Ron. "Harry, just go down to the lake tomorrow, right, stick your head in, yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they've nicked, and see if they chuck it out. Best you can do, mate."

"There's a way of doing it!" Hermione said crossly. "There just has to be!"

She seemed to be taking the library's lack of useful information on the subject as a personal insult; it had never failed her before.

"I know what I should have done," said Harry, resting, face-down, on Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts. "I should've learned to be an Animagus like Sirius."

"Oh this is no use," Hermione said, snapping shut Weird Wizarding Dilemmas. "Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?"

"I wouldn't mind," said Fred Weasley's voice. "Be a talking point, wouldn't it?"

They looked up. Fred and George had just emerged from behind some bookshelves.

"What're you two doing here?" Ron asked.

"Looking for you," said George. "McGonagall wants you three."

"Why?" said Hermione, looking surprised.

"I would not profess to know the inner workings of that particular wench," said Fred holding his hands to his heart.

"You have been summoned and by our life we must retrieve you," said George.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"We'll meet you back in the common room," Gienah told Harry as she got up to go with Ron - both of them looked very anxious. "Bring as many of these books as you can, okay?"

The three of them hurried to the professors office, hoping whatever they'd been summoned for they could get over and done with quickly.

"Come in" Professor McGonagall called from inside.

Gienah pushed open the door and saw Professor McGonagall standing behind her desk and the Headmaster seated on a chintz armchair that certainly did not belong in the room.

"Ah" Dumbledore smiled. "As chance will have it the three of you are three of the champions most prized possessions."

Gienah sighed.

"Do not be alarmed. The headmaster will place you into an enchanted sleep only for you to awaken once you are back above water."

Hermione squeaked.

"I assure you Miss. Granger it'll be quite safe." The headmaster smiled, his fingertips touching lightly.

"If you must" Gienah said with a wave of her hand .

The headmaster chuckled and then conjured three floating stretchers inside the office. The three climbed into their cell for the night and soon a drowsiness consumed them and they thought no more.

The first thing Gienah felt was cold so numb she was convinced she could _feel_ her arteries narrow. Following a gasp, her breathing was shallow. She felt someone holding her waist and pulling her through the ice cold water.

"Someone!" She heard a boy cry from a distance. "Her breathing-"

Gienah felt a sudden warmth and the grip around her loosened with a gasp and once again she was submerged in water. The first gulp of icy lake water felt like the breath of life. She took another great gulp of water and felt it pass smoothly through her gills, sending oxygen back to her brain. Gienah opened her eyes and she saw the commotion on the water surfaces and looked down at her body. Her legs had disappeared to be replaced with a tail covered in emerald green scales of every shade. Her fingers were webbed and turned a shimmering grey. She pulled her hair over her naked breasts and saw her hair was green. Gienah moved her fin with a natural art. Looking below she saw a strange, dark, foggy landscape.

Gienah swam deeper, wanting to escape the warped sounds from above water before she remembered the riddle, the tournament… Cedric must have saved her. But where was Harry, Ron and Hermione?

She swam deeper and more frantically, she saw forests of rippling, tangled black weed, wide plains of mud littered with dull, glimmering stones. Deeper and deeper, out toward the middle of the lake, her eyes wide, staring through the eerily gray-lit water around her to the shadow beyond, where the water became opaque.

Gienah then saw the strangest sight. A deformed figure from below holding a puppet in its hand. As it drew closer she gasped, reaching for her wand but finding it was not on her body. The thing was a beast. A man with a shark and in one hand he pulled along Hermione deep in her enchanted sleep. The other held a wand threateningly. Gienah made to move but he had struck her with a curse and her hands were tied with the tangled black weed. She attempted to pull but she was stuck.

"Help!" Gienah cried in her musical voice. "Someone!"

Surely Dumbledore would find her. Cedric may return. Harry…

Small fish flickered past her like silver darts. Light green weed stretched ahead of her as far as she could see, two feet deep, like a meadow of very overgrown grass. Gienah was staring unblinkingly ahead of her, trying to discern shapes through the gloom...and then, without warning, something grabbed hold of her ankle.

Gienah twisted her body around and saw a grindylow, a small, horned water demon, poking out of the weed, its long fingers clutched tightly around her leg, its pointed fangs bared - Gienah tried to recall all she knew about Grindylows. The only unhelpful fact that floated to her was they occasionally feasted on humans. But merpeople, had they not learned to tame them? And didn't merpeople have magic of their own? There were legends of the merpeople descending from sirens which could enchant men and beasts to their bidding and did they not sing?

Opening her mouth she closed her eyes as she felt the Grindylow bite her arm. The sound came from deep inside her, a sound that echoed and commanded the waters. The sound was celestial and instead of one voice it sounded like a hundred. The Grindylow stilled and lifelessly floated in front of her, passing by the natural movement of the waters. She continued to sing relishing in the feel of the power she held. Though she could not cry she felt tears fall from her eyes. Their was a story held in the sad eternal song and from everywhere she looked she saw figures rushing towards her. Gienah felt the weed slip away from her arms and now she sang louder, her arms reached out before her and she heard voices call back. Gienah widened her eyes as she saw the figures coming towards her were merpeople with their sullen skin and their yellow eyes glinting like gems in the distance. They held pitchforks and looked fierce with their chiselled teeth and claw like nails but as they circled her the men and women one by woman held out their pitchforks with both hands, bowing their ferocious heads to her fin. Gienah looked around in the eery waters and saw rows upon rows of heads, their hair moving gently in the caresses of the water and their silver weapons held before them in surrender.

"Rise, the ancient people of the underworld, rise" Gienah said, though once again, the words came from another place. They were uttered with her mouth but the words were unfamiliar, as if said from a dream.

One by one they rose. Each pair of yellow eyes on her.

A merman leading the procession came towards her and bowed once more. Gienah bowed in return. The merman had silver hair not green and his yellow eyes were fading, becoming at one with the waters and his scales translucent.

"We have heard stories of your coming my queen." The merman said, his tone low and humble. "My people lose hope to ever return to the glory in which we were once held. Adenydd, daughter of Kantrava, I had hoped to see you before I returned to the sea."

"Easthelin" Gienah said holding out her hand to take his, she kissed him. "The day of Nagual nears, as was foretold by the seers of old. You have my promise to roam the free waters once more. The city of Atlantis will be yours as it was in the days of lore."

"The Queen Adenydd!" Easthelin held her hand and raised it above both their heads and the merpeople rose and began to sing with their spears and pitchforks rising towards the sun. As the song faded the merpeople returned to the deepest recesses. Easthelin thrust his spear forward and bowed one last time. Left alone she turned the spear in her hands and saw the body was fashioned from a silvery bronze rock and the spearhead a reddish purple stone.

Gienah heard a strange gurgling from behind her and turned turning her spear forward before she saw it was Harry and the point was inches away from his neck. He raised his arms with some difficulty seeing as he was holding the hands of Ron and a small girl with silvery hair.

"Harry" Gienah sighed.

Harry mouthed something.

"It's me, Gienah" Gienah said. "I'll take Ron."

Harry nodded.

Gienah led the way back to the surface, slowing down every now and then to wait for Harry to catch up. Then Gienah saw a figure from deeper in the water.

"Somethings down there." Gienah said to Harry. "Take Ron."

Gienah dove deeper and hid behind a coral reef on the ground of the lake floor and peeked through the shrubbery to see a man. No, a boy. It was Cedric! He had a glass bowl over his head and was swimming away from her, his head turning frequently as if looking for something.

"Cedric!" Gienah called, diving once more, urging her fins to hurry.

Cedric turned and momentarily froze.

"It's me Gienah" Gienah said softly.

Cedric opened his mouth and made a comical o shape with his mouth.

"Stop gawping" Gienah laughed, her laugh sounding like a melody. "You're running late."

Gienah took his hand and propelled them forward, pushing Cedric above her before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

The cold hit her again, but her blood seemed less strange to the feeling and she winked at Cedric who had vanished his bubble and was breathing heavily. Gienah turned her head to the stadium standing on either side of the lake and was struck by flashes of cameras when Cedric's mouth was on hers. The crowd gasped, or laughed, or sighed, she wasn't sure, she didn't care, her mental faculties weren't functioning properly as she wrapped her legs around his. She didn't care at that moment that he was her Lincoln. All she could think of as their tongues met frantically was _Mine_.

"I thought you drowned" Cedric finally whispered in her ear.

The crowd in the stands was making a great deal of noise.

"Gienah!" She heard Hermione scream.

Cedric pulled Gienah towards the bank.

Gienah could see Madam Pomfrey fussing over Hermione, Krum, Cedric, and Cho, all of whom were wrapped in thick blankets.

The judges stood looking relieved from the bank as they swam nearer, but Percy, who looked very white and somehow much younger than usual, came splashing out to meet them.

"Come here, you," said Madam Pomfrey. She seized Harry and pulled him over to Hermione and the others, wrapped him so tightly in a blanket that he felt as though he were in a straitjacket, and forced a measure of very hot potion down his throat. Steam gushed out of his ears.

Dumbledore was crouching at the water's edge, deep in conversation with what seemed to be the chief merperson, Easthelin. He was making the same sort of screechy noises that the merpeople made when they were above water; clearly, Dumbledore could speak Mermish. Dumbledore then looked sharply at GIenah. Finally he straightened up, turned to his fellow judges, and said, "A conference before we give the marks, I think."

"What happened?" Hermione said, her teeth still chattering. "Percy said you and Cedric arrived first but then you went down again and Cedric went looking for you! They were convinced you'd drowned except obviously I knew… you know… but then I thought - what if you were unconscious! Dumbledore sent a-"

Hermione was interrupted.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows...

"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."

Applause from the stands.

"I deserved zero," said Fleur throatily, shaking her magnificent head.

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage." There was mutters from the crowd. "However, his hostage was dragged down by a grindylow and Diggory spent the last half hour seeking to retrieve his hostage and so Diggory returned last and is thus awarded forty points"

The Hufflepuff's cheered enormously. Gienah looked guiltily at him.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was first to return with his hostage. We award him forty five points."

Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior.

"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued. "He returned second, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."

Ron and Hermione both gave Harry half-exasperated, half-commiserating looks.

"Most of the judges," and here, Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However...Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," continued Bagman. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."

It was over. Gienah looked down and saw she was still clutching the magnificent spear. The prophecy was coming true. Gienah had the centaurs pledging her allegiance and the merpeople as firm allies. Gienah looked up and saw Dumbledore looking at her with something akin to fear in his eyes. Standing up she went up to the headmaster who handed her her wand.

"I think it is time you and I had a conversation" Dumbledore said quietly.

Gienah nodded but as she followed the headmaster to the castle she desperately looked around for the one man she trusted above all others.

They entered the headmaster's office and remained standing. The headmaster took a seat and watched her with great interest.

"Do take a seat Gienah." Dumbledore asked.

Gienah did.

"Lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered.

Gienah popped the sugary sweet in her mouth, though she craved real sustenance.

"The merchief Easthelin calls you Adenydd, daughter of Kantrava." Dumbledore began. "He and his people believe their future rests on your young shoulders but refuses to speak any further. He asks I speak to you myself and that if I could not recognize the signs it was not for him to say."

Gienah almost smiled.

"The centaurs speak too of Adenydd, daughter of Kantrava." Dumbledore continued.

"Well, I suggest you speak to the centaurs." Gienah said.

"If there is anything you would like to tell me Gienah." Dumbledore said softly, though she heard a veiled threat beneath the niceties.

"A war is brewing headmaster." Gienah said. "There is a spy within these walls and Harry's life is in danger. Is there something you wish to tell him? What is the Dark Lord's fascination with Harry?"

"All in good time." Dumbledore sighed.

"That is not good enough headmaster." Gienah said, her eyes flashing.

"What would you have me say?" Dumbledore asked her.

"That you are prepared. You are aware. You are taking appropriate measures. That we will not lose, nor emerge victorious with heavy losses. That we will not have the burden of the Second Wizarding War weighing on our shoulders." Gienah said fiercely.

"I am aware but I cannot promise you with what you know is inevitable." Dumbledore said sadly.

"Then you must act." Gienah said coldly.

"I must." Dumbledore agreed and Gienah then thought he looked so very old.

"The dark lord will reach out to the giants and werewolves. He will tempt the trolls to come out from hiding and seek alliances with the goblins though they will refuse it. The Ministry must extend an olive branch to the creatures we have so long persecuted."

"I hoped to delay the stirrings of war-"

"To avoid what is inevitable?" Gienah said with disbelief. "Willing will not make it so."

"You speak as if you have lived through a war." Dumbledore said.

"I have been borne in the middle of war and have seen the scars of my fathers." Gienah confessed. "But it is enough."

Gienah made to leave but turned to the calling of her true name.

"Your childhood is not yet over."

Gienah closed the door behind her.


	37. Ambrosia

Chapter Forty-One: **Ambrosia**

As they entered March the weather became drier, but cruel winds skinned their hands and faces every time they went out onto the grounds. There were delays in the post because the owls kept being blown off course.

Gienah woke up one morning feeling light headed. Drawing her curtains she saw it was only first light. Gienah then ran out of her bed and only just made the toilet when she was violently sick.

"Gienah" Hermione's sleepy voice came from the cubicle door. "Are you okay?"

Gienah vomited once more after seeing the basin filled with yellow liquid and floating bits of -

"God, you're going to make me sick" Hermione whined.

Gienah emerged from the toilet five minutes later looking pale. She rinsed her mouth then brushed her teeth.

"Did you eat something funny last night?" Hermione asked spraying air freshener in the bathroom.

"No.." Gienah trailed off.

"Have you been sick like this before?" Hermione asked.

"Well a few months ago but I saw Madam Pomfrey and she gave me a potion usually given to pregnant women…" Gienah then looked down at her stomach and placed a hand over her belly.

"Gienah?" Hermione squeaked. "You can't- you're a virgin, aren't you?"

Gienah shook her head and slowly lifted her nightgown and turned to face the mirror. There, as clear as day, was a firm bump. How had she not noticed it before.

"Dear Merlin" Hermione said, placing a hand over her naked stomach. "You're pregnant."

The two girls didn't bother getting dressed as they slipped into their slippers and pulled their cloaks over their nightgowns and ran to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was unsurprisingly awake and speaking with a dark haired man.

"Just what I needed" Gienah sighed.

"Madame Pomfrey!" Hermione knocked on her office door.

"Goodness Miss. Granger, I am presently engaged with-"

"Gienah's pregnant!" Hermione shouted.

Snape turned and looked surprisingly at Gienah. Madame Pomfrey didn't even blink. She waved her wand at Gienah then ushered her to a hospital bed and asked her to lie down.

"Seven months" Madame Pomfrey finally said. "You have a very healthy baby daughter Ms. Black."

Gienah squeaked. Hermione held her hand and looked worriedly at Gienah.

"What am I going to do?" Gienah cried. "I'm fifteen. Cedric's barely of age. Merlin, my fathers are going to kill me."

"No they aren't", Snape snapped. "Enough melodrama. You must write to your parents."

"The press are going to have a field day" Gienah groaned. "Fuck that - I'm going to be a mother. I never had a mother. What are mothers meant to do?"

"Calm down Ms. Black." Madame Pomfrey said gently. "You are certainly not the first student to be pregnant nor the youngest. You will inform your parents and then the father of your child before you decide on how you plan to raise the child, whether you wish to raise her at all."

"I'm in school, of course I can't bloody well raise a child!" Gienah shouted.

"Ms. Black!" Snape warned her.

"The options are as follows; place her in an orphanage or have her adopted, place her under the care of your parents, or you may care for her in school where you will be placed in a private room."

Gienah nodded weakly.

"Do you want me to get Cedric?" Hermione asked.

"Yes please" Gienah said in a quiet voice that was barely audible. Hermione nodded and hurried away.

 _Dear Sirius and Remus,_

 _Please come to Hogwarts immediately. I am in the hospital wing. I am not in any harm but I would rather speak to you face to face._

 _Your daughter,_

 _Gienah_

Cedric arrived in ten minutes, still wearing his pyjamas, an old t-shirt that fit him far too snugly and his feet completely bare.

"Gienah?" Cedric came and looked her up and down, then at Madame Pomfrey who was making notes on a clipboard and Snape who stood looking grimmer than usual.

"Cedric. You must not panic. I only found out now." Gienah said after a deep breath. "I'm seven months pregnant."

Cedric almost fainted, but Hermione had already pushed a chair behind him and he slumped upon the chair instead.

"How?" Cedric finally said. "We used the charm every time."

"I don't know" Gienah said, looking around at the adults in the room.

Snape sighed.

"I believe the contraceptive charm is not effective when it concerns your particular gene." Snape said. "It is not a coincidence that Ms. Tonks and Ms. Malfoy have failed to produce a successful contraceptive charm on themselves."

"What are we going to do?" Cedric said to Gienah. "We're have a baby."

"It's a girl" Gienah said nervously.

"Whatever you decide I will support you Gienah" Cedric said kissing her temple. "I give you my word."

Gienah nodded.

Just then the doors slammed open and in came Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Sirius looked like a man possessed. His cloak followed him ominously and Lupin followed looking like he'd just recovered from a full moon.

"Dad I'm ok" Gienah said in a small voice, darting her eyes between Cedric and Sirius.

Sirius caught the movement and pulled Cedric out of the chair and against the wall, pinning his neck with one hand.

"What have you done?"

Cedric was choking.

"Control yourself Mr. Black!" Madame Pomfrey chided.

"Dad!" Gienah cried. "I'm pregnant, it wasn't his fault, I'm seven months pregnant and I just found out and I don't know what to do!"

Cedric slid down the wall as Sirius went to Gienah's side and held her as she sobbed.

"Severus?" Lupin asked.

"Contraceptive charms will not be effective against any of your spouse's." Snape said. "The gene is resilient."

"When is the baby due?" Sirius barked at Madame Pomfrey.

"May the 9th." She replied, looking a little ruffled.

"What do you want to do love?" Sirius asked.

"I can't raise her." Gienah said. "Not while I'm in school. I won't leave either. And I certainly won't place her in an orphanage."

"Do you want the public to know you are having a child?" Lupin asked.

"I don't want her to grow up with a scandal hanging over her head." Gienah said, wiping her tears away and speaking resolutely. "Remus, will you raise her as your own?"

Remus nodded.

"Bellatrix is pregnant and it will be easy to pass her off as a twin." Sirius said. "She is due in August."

"But I want her to know who her parents are." Gienah said firmly, looking at Cedric who nodded. "Only we and the Diggory's will know the truth."

There was a pause as Gienah hugged both her fathers and Lupin had tears falling from his eyes. Gienah smirked.

"You're going to be a grandfather." Gienah laughed.

"I'm too young." Sirius said, winking at Hermione.

"We need a bigger house." said Lupin.

And they all laughed.

"I have a meeting kids." Sirius gave Gienah a final kiss. "You are coming home for the Easter holidays and staying there till you've given birth.. Blimey, those have had to be the strangest sentence I've ever said…"

Gienah sat down and told Harry, Ron, Ginny and Luna that evening in the common room once everyone had left for bed.

"Blimey" Ron said. "A baby."

"Yes Ron" Hermione said sarcastically. "A baby, a little human being that is birthed by the mother. The child is a result of coitus-"

"Yeah, yeah alright!" said Ron with a note of panic.

Luna hugged Gienah and Ginny was speechless.

"I'm going to be an uncle" Harry said weakly.

"You aren't marrying him are you?" Ron said. "Because you know - you don't have to."

Gienah laughed and hugged him closely. He nervously patted her back.

"Pregnant women" Ron muttered though he smiled.

Ginny had began to cry and Hermione had to pat her soothingly.

"I'm just so happy" Gienah sniffed.

Gienah left and headed to the Hufflepuff basement as a bird and snuck into his bed.

"What took you so long?" Cedric murmured in her ear.

Gienah sighed, letting him pull her flush up against him. Cedric pulled her night gown above her stomach and caressed the little bump.

"I'm going to be a father." Cedric whispered.

"She's going to be so adored." Gienah laughed.

"It's true. I'll spoil her rotten." Cedric nodded.

Gienah turned in his embrace and kissed his mouth in the dark. Cedric lowered his hand and slipped his fingers inside of her and she gasped.

"For some reason" Cedric whispered in her ear. "I am completely aroused at the thought of fucking my pregnant wife."

Gienah bit her lip.

Cedric thrust deeper inside of her.

"Merlin you're so wet." Cedric groaned. "Get on top."

"Yes sir." Gienah said submissively.

Cedric grabbed his wand and sent a ball of light above them and watched her push herself down on his hard length. Cedric rocked his hip beneath her. He pulled her down and kissed her breasts as he thrust in and out of her. Wanting more control he flipped her over, placed either hand by her head and pushed his whole body weight on her, going so deep she cried out in pain.

"Do you like that?" Cedric murmured, his grey eyes molten.

Gienah nodded as he completely withdrew and slammed into her again. Gienah whimpered. She held tightly onto his muscular shoulders and wrapped her legs around him. She was in awe at how much bigger he was.

"Your breasts are swollen" Cedric said as he pinched both her nipples with a husky laugh.

Cedric picked up his pace and Gienah reached down and circled her finger on her clitoris and cried out as she came undone under him.

"You feel so fucking good." Cedric said through gritted teeth.

Gienah was pulsing with pleasure when he came inside of her.

Cedric withdrew and suckled her breasts.

"How was that?" Cedric smirked as he leaned back beside her.

"Cocky bastard" Gienah muttered, pulling his arms around her waist. She could feel his limp penis against her and it filled her with arousal. She almost enjoyed this better than sex. Cedric seemed to thinking along the same lines as he pressed himself against her and placed his hand on her sex.

"We have classes tomorrow" Gienah reminded him as she felt him harden once more.

"I'm not doing anything" Cedric murmured, his fingers stroking her tantalizingly between her puffy lips. His cock head squeezing between her bum cheeks.

"I can't sleep like this" Gienah gasped.

Cedric eliminated the lights.

"Try" Cedric whispered. "Because I won't sleep tonight.

The next morning Ginny ran over to Hermione and Gienah with Witch Weekly in her hands and placed the open magazine before them with a growl.

 **Harry Potter's Secret Heartache**

 _A boy like no other, perhaps - yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss._

 _Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections. Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has "never felt this way about any other girl."_

 _However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms that have captured these unfortunate boys' interest._

 _"She's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it."_

 _Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potters well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate._

Hermione huffed. Gienah laughed hysterically.

"What a load of bull!" Gienah said.

"What is it?" Harry said, taking the paper. Ron and Harry read the article, Harry's cheeks reddening every second.

"I told you!" Ron hissed at Hermione as she stared down at the article. "I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She's made you out to be some sort of- of scarlet woman!"

Hermione stopped looking astonished and snorted with laughter. "Scarlet woman?" she repeated, shaking with suppressed giggles as she looked around at Ron.

"It's what my mum calls them," Ron muttered, his ears going red.

"If that's the best Rita can do, she's losing her touch," said Hermione, still giggling, as she threw Witch Weekly to the side. "What a pile of old rubbish."

She looked over at the Slytherins, who were all watching her and Harry closely across the room to see if they had been upset by the article. Hermione gave them a sarcastic smile and a wave, and she, Harry, and Ron shook their heads.

"There's something funny, though," said Hermione ten minutes later, holding her pestle suspended over a bowl of scarab beetles. "How could Rita Skeeter have known...?"

"Known what?" said Ron quickly. "You haven't been mixing up Love Potions, have you?"

"Don't be stupid," Hermione snapped. "No, it's just...how did she know Viktor asked me to visit him over the summer?"

Hermione blushed scarlet as she said this and determinedly avoided Ron's eyes.

"What?" said Ron.

"He asked me right after he'd pulled me out of the lake."

Hermione muttered. "After he'd got rid of his shark's head. Madam Pomfrey gave us both blankets and then he sort of pulled me away from the judges so they wouldn't hear, and he said, if I wasn't doing anything over the summer, would I like to -"

"And what did you say?" said Ron, because he was looking at Hermione.

"And he did say he'd never felt the same way about anyone else," Hermione went on, going so red now that Harry could almost feel the heat coming from her, "but how could Rita Skeeter have heard him? She wasn't there...or was she? Maybe she has got an Invisibility Cloak; maybe she sneaked onto the grounds to watch the second task..."

"And what did you say?" Ron repeated.

"Well, I was too busy seeing whether you and Harry were okay to-"

"But do you want to?" Ron asked, violently spearing a sausage.

"I haven't really had-" Hermione began.

"Ron- it isn't really any of your business is it." Gienah interrupted.

Ron went red and was in a mood the rest of the day.

Saturday night Gienah sat in detention with Snape practicing an advanced Gemini spell. This created six copies that were able to move in their own record albeit move was all they could do.

"Enough" Snape said. "Take a seat."

Snape threw her two issues of the daily prophet. The first bore the headline Mystery Illness of Bartemius Crouch, the second, Ministry Witch Still Missing - Minister of Magic Now Personally Involved.

Gienah scanned the story about Crouch. Phrases jumped out at her: hasn't been seen in public since November...house appears deserted...St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries decline comment...Ministry refuses to confirm rumors of critical illness...

"They're making it sound like he's dying," said Gienah slowly. "Percy Weasley believes Crouch is suffering from overwork."

"Along with Pettigrew returning to England and Potter's name drawn from the goblet… it can't be a coincidence."

"You think Crouch has something to do with this?"

"Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Snape said, leaning back on his desk and folding his arms. "He was tipped for the next Minister of Magic, a great wizard in his prime, Barty Crouch, powerfully magical - and power-hungry."

"Crouch was the one who sent your father to Azkaban without a trial" Snape added.

"WHAT!?" Gienah said. "But dad invited him to my birthday party… he got us tickets to the world cup."

"Guilty conscience" Snape shrugged. "I don't know how that man's mind works."

"You mean to say, dad doesn't know?" GIenah asked.

"Oh he knows." Snape said with a wry smile. "He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering harsh measures against the dark lords' supporters. The Aurors were given new powers - powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. And your father wasn't the only one who was handed straight to the dementors without trial. Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side. When the dark lord disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch . But then something rather unfortunate happened..." Snape smiled grimly. "Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of Azkaban."

"Crouch's son was caught?" gasped Gienah.

"Yes," said Snape.

"Was his son a Death Eater?" said Gienah.

"Yes" said Snape.

"Is he still in Azkaban?" GIenah asked.

"Died in 1981" Snape said. "Shortly following his death, his mother died."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Gienah asked.

"The greatest weapon is intelligence." Snape said. "Now knowing what you do, do you not consider it strange Potter is a champion in a tournament organized by Crouch and Crouch is now suffering an unknown illness. Bertha Jorkins, a ministry employee likely to have known the tournament would take place this year for the first time in more than a century, disappears in Albania of all places."

"It makes the entire thing more strange." Gienah agreed. "Sanctimonious father with a death eater for a son becomes mysteriously ill months after Bertha Jorkins."

"There was also a muggle that died last summer." Snape passed her a muggle newspaper clipping. She could tell it was muggle by the still pictures on the page.

"Frank Bryce…" Gienah said.

"Killed by the killing curse by the looks of it."

"In.. Little Hangleton!" Gienah shouted. "That's where Voldemort's father lived. I met Frank! And Harry had a nightmare I think on this exact date professor. He dreamt of an old man and a snake and wormtail!"

"Why would the dark lord return to the house of his muggle father sir?" Gienah asked, looking deeply afraid.

"It is late." Snape said looking at the clock. "Return to your dormitory, you may speak to Granger about these findings. Next saturday I expect a comprehensive essay on the rise of Grindelwald."

"Yes sir." Gienah said. "Good night professor."

"Good night Gienah."

Sunday morning Gienah regaled what she had learnt to Hermione, Ron and Harry.

"We should owl Percy" Ron said thoughtfully. "Ask him when was the last he'd seen Crouch."

Gienah nodded.

Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went up to the Owlery after lunch on Sunday to send a letter to Percy, asking whether he had seen Mr. Crouch lately. When they had watched Hedwig fly out of sight through the Owlery window, they proceeded down to the kitchen to give Dobby his new socks Harry had brought him from Hogsmeade.

The house-elves gave them a very cheery welcome, bowing and curtsying and bustling around making tea again. Dobby was ecstatic about his present.

"Harry Potter is too good to Dobby!" he squeaked, wiping large tears out of his enormous eyes.

"You saved my life with that gillyweed, Dobby, you really did," said Harry.

"No chance of more of those eclairs, is there?" said Ron, who was looking around at the beaming and bowing house-elves.

"You've just had lunch!" said Hermione irritably, but a great silver platter of eclairs was already zooming toward them, supported by four elves.

"Dobby, where's Winky?" said Hermione, who was looking around.

"Winky is over there by the fire, miss," said Dobby quietly, his ears drooping slightly.

"Oh dear," said Hermione as she spotted Winky.

Gienah looked over at the fireplace too. Winky was sitting on the same stool as last time, but she had allowed herself to become so filthy that she was not immediately distinguishable from the smoke-blackened brick behind her. Her clothes were ragged and unwashed. She was clutching a bottle of butterbeer and swaying slightly on her stool, staring into the fire. As they watched her, she gave an enormous hiccup.

"Winky is getting through six bottles a day now," Dobby whispered to Harry.

"Well, it's not strong, that stuff," Harry said.

But Dobby shook his head. "'Tis strong for a house-elf, sir," he said.

Winky hiccuped again. The elves who had brought the eclairs gave her disapproving looks as they returned to work.

"Winky is pining, Harry Potter," Dobby whispered sadly. "Winky wants to go home. Winky still thinks Mr. Crouch is her master, sir, and nothing Dobby says will persuade her that Professor Dumbledore is her master now."

"Hey, Winky," said Harry, struck by a sudden inspiration, walking over to her, and bending down, "you don't know what Mr. Crouch might be up to, do you? Because he's stopped turning up to judge the Triwizard Tournament."

Winky's eyes flickered. Her enormous pupils focused on Harry. She swayed slightly again and then said, "M - Master is stopped - hic - coming?"

"Yeah," said Harry, "we haven't seen him since the first task. The Daily Prophet's saying he's ill."

Winky swayed some more, staring blurrily at Harry.

"Master - hic - ill?"

Her bottom lip began to tremble.

"But we're not sure if that's true," said Hermione quickly.

"Master is needing his - hic - Winky!" whimpered the elf. "Master cannot - hic - manage - hic - all by himself..."

"Other people manage to do their own housework, you know, Winky," Hermione said severely.

"Winky - hic - is not only - hic - doing housework for Mr. Crouch!" Winky squeaked indignantly, swaying worse than ever and slopping butterbeer down her already heavily stained blouse. "Master is - hic - trusting Winky with - hic - the most important - hic - the most secret..."

"What?" said Harry.

But Winky shook her head very hard, spilling more butterbeer down herself.

"Winky keeps - hic - her master's secrets," she said mutinously, swaying very heavily now, frowning up at Harry with her eyes crossed. "You is - hic - nosing, you is."

"Winky must not talk like that to Harry Potter!" said Dobby angrily. "Harry Potter is brave and noble and Harry Potter is not nosy!"

"He is nosing - hic - into my master's - hic - private and secret - hic - Winky is a good house-elf - hic - Winky keeps her silence - hic - people trying to - hic - pry and poke - hic -"

Winky's eyelids drooped and suddenly, without warning, she slid off her stool into the hearth, snoring loudly. The empty bottle of butterbeer rolled away across the stone-flagged floor. Half a dozen house-elves came hurrying forward, looking disgusted. One of them picked up the bottle; the others covered Winky with a large checked tablecloth and tucked the ends in neatly, hiding her from view.

"We is sorry you had to see that, sirs and miss!" squeaked a nearby elf, shaking his head and looking very ashamed. "We is hoping you will not judge us all by Winky, sirs and miss!"

"She's unhappy!" said Hermione, exasperated. "Why don't you try and cheer her up instead of covering her up?"

"Begging your pardon, miss," said the house-elf, bowing deeply again, "but house-elves has no right to be unhappy when there is work to be done and masters to be served."

"Oh for heavens sake!" Hermione cried. "Listen to me, all of you! You've got just as much right as wizards to be unhappy! You've got the right to wages and holidays and proper clothes, you don't have to do everything you're told - look at Dobby!"

"Miss will please keep Dobby out of this," Dobby mumbled, looking scared. The cheery smiles had vanished from the faces of the house-elves around the kitchen. They were suddenly looking at Hermione as though she were mad and dangerous.

"Good-bye!"

The house-elves crowded around GIenah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione and began shunting them out of the kitchen, many little hands pushing in the smalls of their backs.

"Thank you for the socks, Harry Potter!" Dobby called miserably from the hearth, where he was standing next to the lumpy tablecloth that was Winky.

"You couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you, Hermione?" said Ron angrily as the kitchen door slammed shut behind them. "They won't want us visiting them now! We could've tried to get more stuff out of Winky about Crouch!"

"Oh as if you care about that!" scoffed Hermione. "You only like coming down here for the food!"

It was an irritable sort of day after that. Gienah got so tired of Ron and Hermione sniping at each other over their homework in the common room that she picked up her books and went to the Hufflepuff basement where she had her foot rubbed by Cedric as she read A Modern History concerning Grindelwald. She smiled thinking this was a much better arrangement than listening to Hermione and Ron bickering.

By breakfast the next day Ron's and Hermione's bad moods had burnt out, and to Gienah's relief, Ron's dark predictions that the house-elves would send substandard food up to the Gryffindor table because Hermione had insulted them proved false; the french toast was as good as usual.

Ron watched in awe as Gienah finished her second bowl of porridge and reached for the stack of french toast and summer berries. Between nibbling her toast she popped strawberry after strawberry in her mouth.

When the post owls arrived, a gray owl landed in front of Hermione's plate, closely followed by four barn owls, a brown owl, and a tawny.

"How many subscriptions did you take out?" said Gienah, seizing Hermione's goblet before it was knocked over by the cluster of owls, all of whom were jostling close to her, trying to deliver their own letter first.

"What on earth - ?" Hermione said, taking the letter from the gray owl, opening it, and starting to read. "Oh really!" she sputtered, going rather red.

"What's up?" said Ron.

"It's - oh how ridiculous -"

She thrust the letter at Gienah, who saw that it was not handwritten, but composed from pasted letters that seemed to have been cut out of the Daily Prophet.

YOU ARE A WICKED GIRL. HARRY POTTER DESERVES

BETTER. GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM MUGGLE.

"They're all like it!" said Hermione desperately, opening one letter after another. "'Harry Potter can do much better than the likes of you...' 'You deserve to be boiled in frog spawn...' Ouch!"

She had opened the last envelope, and yellowish-green liquid smelling strongly of petrol gushed over her hands, which began to erupt in large yellow boils.

"Undiluted bubotuber pus!" said Ron, picking up the envelope gingerly and sniffing it.

"Ow!" said Hermione, tears starting in her eyes as she tried to rub the pus off her hands with a napkin, but her fingers were now so thickly covered in painful sores that it looked as though she were wearing a pair of thick, knobbly gloves.

"You'd better get up to the hospital wing," said Harry as the owls around Hermione took flight. "We'll tell Professor Sprout where you've gone..."

"I warned her!" said Ron as Hermione hurried out of the Great Hall, cradling her hands. "I warned her not to annoy Rita Skeeter! Look at this one..." He read out one of the letters Hermione had left behind: "I read In Witch Weekly about how you are playing Harry Potter false and that boy has had enough hardship and I will be sending you a curse by next post as soon as I can find a big enough envelope.' Blimey, she'd better watch out for herself."

Hermione didn't turn up for Herbology. As Harry and Ron, Gienah wobbled, left the greenhouse and for their Care of Magical Creatures class, they saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle descending the stone steps of the castle. Pansy Parkinson was whispering and giggling behind them with her gang of Slytherin girls. Catching sight of Harry, Pansy called, "Potter, have you split up with your girlfriend? Why was she so upset at breakfast?"

Hagrid, who had told them last lesson that they had finished with unicorns, was waiting for them outside his cabin with a fresh supply of open crates at his feet. Gienah's heart sank at the sight of the crates - surely not another skrewt hatching? - but when she got near enough to see inside, she found herself looking at a number of flurry black creatures with long snouts. Their front paws were curiously flat, like spades, and they were blinking up at the class, looking politely puzzled at all the attention.

"These're nifflers," said Hagrid, when the class had gathered around. "Yeh find 'em down mines mostly. They like sparkly stuff...There yeh go, look."

One of the nifflers had suddenly leapt up and attempted to bite Pansy Parkinson's watch off her wrist. She shrieked and jumped backward.

"Useful little treasure detectors," said Hagrid happily. "Thought we'd have some fun with 'em today. See over there?" He pointed at the large patch of freshly turned earth Gienah had watched him digging from the Owlery window. "I've buried some gold coins. I've got a prize fer whoever picks the niffler that digs up most. Jus' take off all yer valuables, an' choose a niffler, an get ready ter set 'em loose."

Gienah picked up a niffler. It put its long snout in her ear and sniffed enthusiastically. It was really quite cuddly.

"Hang on," said Hagrid, looking down into the crate, "there's a spare niffler here...who's missin? Where's Hermione?"

"She had to go to the hospital wing," said Ron.

"We'll explain later," Harry muttered; Pansy Parkinson was listening.

It was easily the most fun they had ever had in Care of Magical Creatures. The nifflers dived in and out of the patch of earth as though it were water, each scurrying back to the student who had released it and spitting gold into their hands. Ron's was particularly efficient; it had soon filled his lap with coins.

"Can you buy these as pets, Hagrid?" he asked excitedly as his niffler dived back into the soil, splattering his robes.

"Yer mum wouldn' be happy, Ron," said Hagrid, grinning. "They wreck houses, nifflers. I reckon they've nearly got the lot, now," he added, pacing around the patch of earth while the nifflers continued to dive. "I on'y buried a hundred coins. Oh there y'are, Hermione!"

Hermione was walking toward them across the lawn. Her hands were very heavily bandaged and she looked miserable. Pansy Parkinson was watching her beadily.

"Well, let's check how yeh've done!" said Hagrid. "Count yer coins! An' there's no point tryin' ter steal any, Goyle," he added, his beetle-black eyes narrowed. "It's leprechaun gold. Vanishes after a few hours."

Goyle emptied his pockets, looking extremely sulky. It turned out that Ron's niffler had been most successful, so Hagrid gave him an enormous slab of Honeyduke's chocolate for a prize. The bell rang across the grounds for lunch; the rest of the class set off back to the castle, but Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stayed behind to help Hagrid put the nifflers back in their boxes. Gienah noticed Madame Maxime watching them out other carriage window.

"What yeh done ter your hands, Hermione?" said Hagrid, looking concerned.

Hermione told him about the hate mail she had received that morning, and the envelope full of bubotuber pus.

"Aaah, don' worry," said Hagrid gently, looking down at her. "I got some o' those letters an all, after Rita Skeeter wrote abou me mum. 'Yeh're a monster an yeh should be put down.' 'Yer mother killed innocent people an if you had any decency you d jump in a lake.'"

"No!" said Hermione, looking shocked.

"Yeah," said Hagrid, heaving the niffler crates over by his cabin wall. "They're jus' nutters, Hermione. Don' open 'em if yeh get any more. Chuck 'em straigh' in the fire."

"You missed a really good lesson," Harry told Hermione as they headed back toward the castle. "They're good, nifflers, aren't they, Ron?"

Ron, however, was frowning at the chocolate Hagrid had given him. He looked thoroughly put out about something.

"What's the matter?" said Harry. "Wrong flavor?"

"No," said Ron shortly. "Why didn't you tell me about the gold?"

"What gold?" said Harry.

"The gold I gave you at the Quidditch World Cup," said Ron. "The leprechaun gold I gave you for my Omnioculars. In the Top Box. Why didn't you tell me it disappeared?"

Harry had to think for a moment before he realized what Ron was talking about.

"Oh..." he said, the memory coming back to him at last. "I dunno...I never noticed it had gone. I was more worried about my wand, wasn't I?"

They climbed the steps into the entrance hall and went into the Great Hall for lunch.

"Must be nice," Ron said abruptly, when they had sat down and started serving themselves roast beef and Yorkshire puddings. "To have so much money you don't notice if a pocketful of Galleons goes missing."

"Listen, I had other stuff on my mind that night!" said Harry impatiently. "We all did, remember?"

"I didn't know leprechaun gold vanishes," Ron muttered. "I thought I was paying you back. You shouldn't've given me that Chudley Cannon hat for Christmas."

"Forget it, all right?" said Harry.

Ron speared a roast potato on the end of his fork, glaring at it. Then he said, "I hate being poor."

Gienah, Harry and Hermione looked at each other.

"It's rubbish," said Ron, still glaring down at his potato. "I don't blame Fred and George for trying to make some extra money. Wish I could. Wish I had a niffler."

"Well, we know what to get you next Christmas," said Hermione brightly. Then, when Ron continued to look gloomy, she said, "Come on, Ron, it could be worse. At least your fingers aren't full of pus." Hermione was having a lot of difficulty managing her knife and fork, her fingers were so stiff and swollen. "I hate that Skeeter woman!" she burst out savagely. "I'll get her back for this if it's the last thing I do!"

Hate mail continued to arrive for Hermione over the following week, and although she followed Hagrid's advice and stopped opening it, several of her ill-wishers sent Howlers, which exploded at the Gryffindor table and shrieked insults at her for the whole Hall to hear. Even those people who didn't read Witch Weekly knew all about the supposed Harry-Krum-Hermione triangle now. Harry was getting sick of telling people that Hermione wasn't his girlfriend.

"It'll die down, though," he told Hermione, "if we just ignore it...People got bored with that stuff she wrote about me last time.

"I want to know how she's listening into private conversations when she's supposed to be banned from the grounds!" said Hermione angrily.

"Well, Rita's definitely not using an Invisibility Cloak!" Hermione panted five minutes after their Defence class, catching up with Gienah, Harry and Ron in the entrance hall and pulling Harry's hand away from one of his wiggling ears so that he could hear her. "Moody says he didn't see her anywhere near the judges' table at the second task, or anywhere near the lake!"

"Hermione, is there any point in telling you to drop this?" said Ron.

"No!" said Hermione stubbornly. "I want to know how she heard me talking to Viktor! And how she found out about Hagrid's mum!"

"Maybe she had you bugged," said Harry.

"Bugged?" said Ron blankly. "What...put fleas on her or something?"

Harry started explaining about hidden microphones and recording equipment. Ron was fascinated, but Hermione interrupted them.

"Aren't you two ever going to read Hogwarts, A History"

"What's the point?" said Ron. "You know it by heart, we can just ask you."

"All those substitutes for magic Muggles use - electricity, computers, and radar, and all those things - they all go haywire around Hogwarts, there's too much magic in the air. No, Rita's using magic to eavesdrop, she must be...If I could just find out what it is...ooh, if it's illegal, I'll have her..."

"Haven't we got enough to worry about?" Ron asked her. "Do we have to start a vendetta against Rita Skeeter as well?"

"I'm not asking you to help!" Hermione snapped. "I'll do it on my own!"

She marched back up the marble staircase without a backward glance. Harry was quite sure she was going to the library.

"What's the betting she comes back with a box of / Hate Rita Skeeter badges?" said Ron.

At the end of term Cedric waited for Gienah at the entrance hall as she said goodbye to Ginny, Hermione, and Luna.

"Here" Luna said with a small smile.

Luna had given her a coral healing crystal attached to a fine gold chain.

"The crystal offers high protection to the mother and baby." Luna said.

Hermione gave her a large tub of peanut butter ice cream and a medley of fruits for the train journey and Ginny gave her some homemade bath salts.

Gienah cried as she waved goodbye from the carriage. It was ridiculous how emotional she got these days. She remembered what Dumbledore had said about a childhood, she couldn't help mourning it now.

During the train journey both of them finished the home-made ice cream. Gienah lay in Cedric's lap as she read Jane Eyre. Cedric fed her berries and suggested girl names.

"Ara?"

"No, Draco's sisters name." Gienah said.

"Carina?"

"Sounds like Karen."

"Celina?"

"No."

"Celeste?"

Gienah shook her head.

"Ambrosia?" Cedric was reading off a baby names book.

"Ambrosia" Gienah repeated.

Gienah gasped.

"The baby kicked." Gienah sat up and pressed Cedric's hand on her stomach.

"Ambrosia" Cedric smiled.

"Or Rose for short!" Gienah said.

"I love it" Cedric kissed her.

Lupin met them at the station.

"The charms are flawless." Lupin said looking at Gienah's flat abdomen.

"She's not that big" Cedric said sounding disappointed.

Gienah glared at him.

"I wouldn't refer to the mother of your child as anything less than perfection in her state" Lupin chuckled. "Or ever."

They walked to the Leaky Cauldron as usual and took the floo home. As soon as she arrived she pointed at her stomach with her wand and said "Finite Incantatem".

Lying on the sofas were two very pregnant women.

Cedric looked nervous.

"Gienah!" Bellatrix reached her arms out as she attempted to sit up.

"Stay still" Lupin said.

"Nonsense." Bellatrix said as she kissed her step daughter. "I'm pregnant not an invalid. He's been like this for the last three months. It's insufferable."

"Dinner will be ready in half an hour." Lupin said, kissing his wife.

"I'll help!" Cedric said a little too keenly. Lupin chuckled as the men went into the kitchen.

"Mmm, he is handsome" Alyssandra said, hugging Gienah. "Let me have a look at you. Goodness."

"Where are the girls?" Gienah asked.

"Napping upstairs. Molly's keeping an eye on them. Lyra's with Charlie at the reserve." Bellatrix yawned.

Just then the fireplace flickered and in came Tonks.

"Gen" Tonks smiled. "I can't believe it! Sirius told me about the contraception charm mishap."

"Cassie's napping" said Alyssandra.

"Thank Merlin" Tonks said, collapsing into an armchair.

Twenty minutes later Sirius, Charlie, Lyra, Molly, Ted and Andromeda arrived and dinner was ready. Lupin had made asparagus and ricotta pizza served with a selection of salads. Gienah piled her plate with couscous, green salad and grilled halloumi and peppers.

"We've decided to call the baby Ambrosia, Rose for short" Gienah said to Sirius.

"Wonderful!" Alyssandra said.

"Have we found a nanny yet?" Gienah asked.

"We've decided to train Missy and Poppy." Sirius said. "Kreacher will have to take care of the manor."

"On his own?" Gienah said sceptically.

"We'll make do" Sirius said, waving a pizza slice around. "Remus, you need to make pizza more often, this is delicious."

"We're moving into the Manor in the summer" Alyssandra said. "There is simply no space. So Missy and Poppy can give Kreacher a hand. We'll have to hire household staff. I've put a post in the Daily Prophet. There is just too much to do. But once it's sorted I can begin my training with peace of mind."

"WIll it be just you two?" Gienah asked.

"Goodness no!" Alyssandra said. "In that palace? Tonks, Charlie and Cassie will take the East Wing."

"You and Harry can decide where you would like to live Gienah" Sirius said.

"It's going to be so quiet here" Bellatrix sighed.

"I don't really know how we'll live without Remus's cooking" Sirius said taking another bite of pizza.

Bellatrix laughed wickedly.

Gienah had an early night after a heated argument about where Cedric would sleep. Eventually he was forced to give in seeing as everyone agreed the worst had already happened.

"If Cedric's sleeping in the guest room, you can sleep on the sofa." Alyssandra said.

Sirius grumbled.

Cedric looked around her room with interest. She'd never really decorated it. Half was exposed brick and the other wooden panels painted cream. The floor was covered in a floorboard in a stripped fairy tale blue. There were fairy lights criss crossed from the ceiling. Shelves lined the entire wall between the two large windows with her king sized bed in the centre and her clothes hand on open rails on the opposite wall with shelves climbing up to the ceiling filled with boxes and instruments. The entirety which had been covered with posters and photos. Her large desk stood by the window overlooking the woodland. By the other window there were two blue armchairs with a tea table between them and a rug Sirius had brought back from Columbia. The window was triangular shaped pieced together like an eye. The round windows at the centre opened all the way out.

"This is the coolest room I've ever been in" Cedric said as he turned back to her.

"I love it" Gienah agreed, looking round.

"I was thinking about putting a cot by the window." Gienah said pointing at the armchairs. "And placing the chairs in the corner of the room, here".

"That would work." Cedric said.

"And then when she can sleep in her own room she can take Sirius's bedroom and we'll strip the walls back so it's bare brickwork but the walls will be a deep blue. White furniture and blue curtains and cushions and upholstery. A whole wall covered in paintings in gold frames and another wall lined with books."

Cedric smiled and kissed her as she spoke.

"You are going to be a wonderful mother." Cedric said.

"I won't even be there in the beginning." Gienah frowned.

"I'm sure Dumbledore will let you floo to her in the weekends." Cedric said.

The next morning she woke up at noon. Cedric was not in her bedroom. After a shower, she dressed in a maxi dress and walked downstairs.

Cedric was in the dining room, reading a book for History of Magic and Alyssandra in the kitchen feeding three wriggling babies with Missy's help.

"Good morning" Alyssandra smiled. "Rather, afternoon".

"Mistress Gienah" Missy curtsied. Gienah smiled at the house elf. She was wearing a white blouse and a blue pinafore.

Alyssandra was wearing a summer dress which fit snugly around her belly.

"It's so quiet" Gienah said.

"There's french toast left for you under the plate there" Alyssandra pointed.

"Mmm." Gienah said, looking at the three girls in their high chairs. Cassie had opted for pink hair that morning and was the most energetic, clapping her hands and with baby food running down her mouth. Mira was trying to get Missy to feed her toy dragon. Missy shook her head but Poppy refused to eat otherwise so Missy sighed and fed the dragon, clearing the mess from its mouth every time. It was an adorable sight.

"Where's Poppy, Missy?" Gienah asked, pouring herself a coffee.

"At the manor miss" Missy said. "Kreacher is very very old, he is needing all the help he can get."

Gienah laughed.

"I should get my homework out the way" Gienah sighed. "Can you manage?"

"I have Missy" Alyssandra smiled. "And Bella should wake from the dead soon."

Gienah laughed again.

The afternoon was lazy but productive. She finished all her potions essays and decided to brew a wit sharpening potion in the library after dinner. Remus, Gienah and Missy cooked in the kitchen and at seven they sat around the usually crowded table. Bill was visiting so the company was more boisterous than usual. The table was filled with more dishes too. There was a veggie casserole, a beef casserole and a fish pie served with mashed potatoes, peas and gravy.

"I'd never believe it" Bill said. "Little Gienah pregnant!"

"Dad and Bella are raising her as far as the public are concerned." Gienah said.

"Can you imagine this house in ten years time Charlie?" Bill laughed. "Black haired daughters surrounding the table. It'll put us to shame. Charlie, you need to keep up mate."

"Oy" Tonks said.

Bill winked.

"What about you mate?" Charlie said. "Any girl you've got your eye on."

"Ah that'd be tellin'" Billie said. "Remus, don't tell mum I said this bu' you could give ma a run for her money. Best beef casserole I tasted since Hogwarts."

"Cheers" Lupin grinned. "You should come over more often."

"Remus here feels unappreciated." Sirius said, scowling. "I tell him he's a ruddy good chef every morning and ask him to marry me every night. Think he'd get the idea."

Alyssandra coughed.

"Darlin'" Sirius said, sipping his wine. "As much as I love you I never heard so much nonsense in my life. A lady being too refined to cook! Bah!"

"Why can't you my love" Alyssandra retorted. "A gentleman too much of an imbecile?"

Sirius roared with laughter.

"Bill, I must introduce you to the French" Sirius chuckled. "They're the ones that'll keep you on your toes."

"I'm not so sure about that" Lupin said looking at Bella.

"Moony love, she's got you on hot coals." Sirius said with a wink.

After dinner Gienah and Lyra went into the library. Lyra read a book as Gienah practiced making the potion by heart. Cedric joined her later to do some studying and once Lyra went back to her house they continued their studies into the night. At two Gienah fell asleep.

The next afternoon Alyssandra, Bellatrix, Cedric and Gienah went on a picnic with the girls to a park in town. It was nice to get out of the house and see some new people. Alyssandra spoke to a muggle woman who had come to the park with her two young children. Bellatrix looked uncomfortable but she behaved. Gienah and Cedric pushed the children on the swings and helped them down the slides. Cedric was a little awkward at first but soon settled in. Alyssandra took a few pictures of the two of them.

The Easter holidays passed in much the same way. Studying most evenings and nights. Dinner with various guests and occasional days out shopping or to the park. Gienah began to read bedtime stories to the children and Cedric learnt to change diapers. Soon Cedric had to return to Hogwarts and Gienah spent her days wallowing and dreading the birth. On May 5th Gienah began her labour contractions and on the 8th of May Gienah had a baby girl. That weekend Harry, Hermione, Ron and Cedric came to visit. Cedric teared up and the first baby photos were taken. Ambrosia had the trademark black hair and grey eyes.

Gienah returned to the cottage that same day with Cedric. Gienah couldn't sleep. She was too fascinated by the baby. Her daughter. It was strange to say. As Cedric snored she stood by the window holding her sleeping daughter.

The next day she, Missy and Cedric flooed to Dumbledore's office.

"Congratulations" Dumbledore said. "May I?"

Gienah nodded.

"Ambrosia Elladora Black" Dumbledore said to the blinking baby. "And so the House of Black lives on."

Dumbledore sat down in his armchair with Ambrosia in his arms.

"You have requested a private dormitory for the remainder of the year?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes sir" Gienah nodded. "Missy will look after her while I am in lessons and next year she will remain with my father at the cottage. I do not wish to be separated from her so soon."

"Understandable." Dumbledore nodded. "I have arranged a private quarters on the sixth floor corridor. It is fully furnished with a small kitchen and a living room. Missy may take the child outdoors or to Hogsmeade. I believe there is a small park where the village children play. If you require further assistance do not hesitate to ask me. Concerning the baby's nutritional needs. Dobby."

The house elf appeared instantly, bowing low before his master.

"Miss Black!" Dobby said in surprise. "Harry Potter tells me you have a daughter, miss, but he is keeping it a secret".

"Yes Dobby" Dumbledore smiled. "This is Missy, she is Ambrosia's nanny. Missy, if you require the pantry you are welcome to use the kitchens. Dobby do introduce her to the house elves. Perhaps introduce her to Winky. It may help with her.. problem."

"Yes sir" Dobby said with a toothy smile. "Pleased to meet you Miss Missy."

Missy giggled as she took his hand and with a CRACK they disappeared.

"Well.. I believe Missy will be well taken care of." Dumbledore said with a raised eyebrow as Gienah burst out laughing.

"Do house elves marry?" Cedric asked.

"Why yes Mr. Diggory." Dumbledore said earnestly. "They have very complicated binding magic, much more powerful than wizards. It is the duty of a house-elf to provide their masters with children to serve their masters."

"I can not wait to tell Harry" said Gienah giddily.

"I will show you to your rooms." Dumbledore said. "Perhaps, Fawkes?"

Fawkes flew over to Dumbledore. Dumbledore took his tail, and gestured Cedric and Gienah to hold onto him and in a flash they appeared in a small living room lined with shelves, two armchairs and a large fire.

"The floo can be connected to any floo in Hogwarts. I have also connected the floo to the Lupin cottage. I hope you use it responsibly."

"Thank you headmaster!" Gienah said, positively beaming. "In that case I may be able to care for Ambrosia throughout my education here."

"Indeed you could." Dumbledore said. "Although you may need to explain to your peers why you are living in private dormitories."

Gienah frowned.

"You may change your mind at any time my dear." Dumbledore said, handing Ambrosia to Cedric. "I bid you good night."

Dumbledore left the living room through the door this time. As soon as he left Gienah looked into the bedroom of a reasonable size with one wardrobe, a chest of drawers and two bedside tables. There were shelves by the writing desk. The kitchen was small and without a fridge. The bathroom consisted of only one bath and a toilet. The living room was the largest room, cosy and with a comfortable desk for her studies.

"This is weird" Gienah said. "I'm a mother in my own apartment."

"What are you going to tell people?" Cedric said, taking a seat in the armchair.

"I have no bloody clue." Gienah said honestly. "Lavender's a terrible gossip."

"Would it be so bad telling people the truth?" Cedric considered. "I can't be ashamed of Rose."

"Nor I" Gienah said, climbing into his lap.

The next morning Gienah woke up at eight and changed into her uniform. Ambrosia was still sleeping. Gienah left a note for Missy telling her she'll be back during lunchtime to feed her. Gienah walked downstairs and felt strange having been with Ambrosia the past seventy-two hours. Her breasts were leaking and she'd had to stuff tissues down her bra. She noticed her shirt was snug around her chest and prayed she didn't leak through the tissues.

"Man, it's good to have you back" Ron said as he walked in to Gienah with her newspaper, porridge and coffee.

"Can't say the same." Gienah frowned. "I miss her."

"Can I come up with you at lunchtime?" Ron asked. "I never really got to spend time with her."

Gienah chuckled.

Predictably Lavander and Parvati bugged her incessantly about her absence.

"I was off being pregnant with Cedric Diggory's secret love child." Gienah drawled.

That shut them up.

By lunch the news went viral. In Potions that day she kept getting stared at. Draco particularly was glaring at her. As she was leaving the dungeons Draco called her name.

"How could you not have told me?" Draco said, frowning. "And with Diggory? Didn't even know he had it in him."

"That's why" Gienah said. "If you'll excuse me I have a child to feed"

Most evenings Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in her lounge, taking turns to hold her as the rest of them revised. When they went off to practice spells in an empty classroom Ginny and Luna would be notified so she never felt alone. In the weekends she'd bring Ambrosia down during mealtimes and take her out to the grounds and Ambrosia would be fawned at. A few would raise their eyebrows and turn up their noses but so many were adoring Gienah actually thought it was healthy for her.

One afternoon Gienah left Ambrosia with Cedric as they went to help Harry practice for the third task. Harry was excused from exams but their exams finished the day of the third task.

"Don't worry about it," Hermione said shortly when Harry pointed this out to them and said he didn't mind practicing on his own for a while, "at least we'll get top marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts. We'd never have found out about all these hexes in class."

"Good training for when we're all Aurors," said Ron excitedly, attempting the Impediment Curse on a wasp that had buzzed into the room and making it stop dead in midair.

The mood in the castle as they entered June became excited and tense again. Everyone was looking forward to the third task, which would take place a week before the end of term. Harry was practicing hexes at every available moment.

Harry had soon mastered the Impediment Curse, a spell to slow down and obstruct attackers; the Reductor Curse, which would enable him to blast solid objects out of his way; and the Four-Point Spell, a useful discovery of Hermione's that would make his wand point due north, therefore enabling him to check whether he was going in the right direction within the maze. He was still having trouble with the Shield Charm, though. This was supposed to cast a temporary, invisible wall around himself that deflected minor curses; Hermione managed to shatter it with a well-placed Jelly-Legs Jinx, and Harry wobbled around the room for ten minutes afterward before she had looked up the counter-jinx.

"You're still doing really well, though," Hermione said encouragingly, looking down her list and crossing off those spells they had already learned. "Some of these are bound to come in handy."

"Come and look at this," said Ron, who was standing by the window. He was staring down onto the grounds. "What's Malfoy doing?"

Gienah, Harry and Hermione went to see. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in the shadow of a tree below. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be keeping a lookout; both were smirking. Malfoy was holding his hand up to his mouth and speaking into it.

"He looks like he's using a walkie-talkie," said Harry curiously.

"He can't be," said Hermione, "I've told you, those sorts of things don't work around Hogwarts. Come on, Harry," she added briskly, turning away from the window and moving back into the middle of the room, "let's try that Shield Charm again."

Sirius was sending daily owls now. Like Hermione, he seemed to want to concentrate on getting Harry through the last task before they concerned themselves with anything else. He reminded Harry in every letter that whatever might be going on outside the walls of Hogwarts was not Harry's responsibility, nor was it within his power to influence it.

If Voldemort is really getting stronger again, he wrote, my priority is to ensure your safety. He cannot hope to lay hands on you while you are under Dumbledore's protection, but all the same, take no risks: Concentrate on getting through that maze safely, and then we can turn our attention to other matters.

The evening before the Third Task Gienah had left Ambrosia with Ginny to babysit for the evening and decided to treat Cedric to a bath. Cedric came in ten in the evening, having practiced with his friends out in the grounds. Gienah called his name from the bathroom. He entered and saw his girlfriend naked in the bath surrounded by floating candles and chocolates.

"My treat" Gienah said with a wink. Cedric had never undressed so fast. An hour later Gienah lay back on Cedric, exhausted from their ministrations in the bath. Gienah felt completely content.

"Will you move in with us in the summer?" Gienah asked.

"I can't believe you even had to ask" Cedric murmured. "I love you and I love our daughter. If I died tomorrow I would be happy knowing we made such a beautiful daughter."

"I love you too." Gienah said, kissing him sweetly.

Gienah felt a familiar poking in her back and grinned.

"Up for round two?" Cedric said.

Gienah could only nod as his fingers were already leaving her at his mercy.

Breakfast was a very noisy affair at the Gryffindor table on the morning of the third task. The post owls appeared, bringing Harry a good-luck card from Sirius and Lupin. A screech owl arrived for Hermione, carrying her morning copy of the Daily Prophet as usual. She unfolded the paper, glanced at the front page, and spat out a mouthful of pumpkin juice all over it.

"What?" said Gienah, Harry and Ron together, staring at her. "Nothing," said Hermione quickly, trying to shove the paper out of sight, but Ron grabbed it. He stared at the headline and said, "No way. Not today. That old cow."

"What?" said Harry. "Rita Skeeter again?"

"No," said Ron, and just like Hermione, he attempted to push the paper out of sight.

"It's about me, isn't it?" said Harry.

"No," said Ron, in an entirely unconvincing tone. But before Harry could demand to see the paper. Draco Malfoy shouted across the Great Hall from the Slytherin table.

"Hey, Potter! Potter! How's your head? You feeling all right? Sure you're not going to go berserk on us?"

Malfoy was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet too. Slytherins up and down the table were sniggering, twisting in their seats to see Harry's reaction.

"Let me see it," Harry said to Ron. "Give it here."

Very reluctantly, Ron handed over the newspaper. Harry turned it over and found himself staring at his own picture, beneath the banner headline:

"HARRY POTTER"

"DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS"

 _The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is unstable and possibly dangerous, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alarming evidence has recently come to light about Harry Potter's strange behavior, which casts doubts upon his suitability to compete in a demanding competition like the Triwizard Tournament, or even to attend Hogwarts School._

 _Potter, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, regularly collapses at school, and is often heard to complain of pain in the scar on his forehead (relic of the curse with which You-Know-Who attempted to kill him). On Monday last, midway through a Divination lesson, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter storming from the class, claiming that his scar was hurting too badly to continue studying._

 _It is possible, say top experts at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potters brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You-Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar is still hurting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion._

 _"He might even be pretending," said one specialist. "This could be a plea for attention."_

 _The Daily Prophet, however, has unearthed worrying facts about Harry Potter that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has carefully concealed from the wizarding public._

 _"Potter can speak Parseltongue," reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth year. "There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people thought Potter was behind them after they saw him lose his temper at a dueling club and set a snake on another boy. It was all hushed up, though. But he's made friends with werewolves and giants too. We think he'd do anything for a bit of power."_

 _Parseltongue, the ability to converse with snakes, has long been considered a Dark Art. Indeed, the most famous Parselmouth of our times is none other than You-Know-Who himself. A member of the Dark Force Defense League, who wished to remain unnamed, stated that he would regard any wizard who could speak Parseltongue "as worthy of investigation. Personally, I would be highly suspicious of anybody who could converse with snakes, as serpents are often used in the worst kinds of Dark Magic, and are historically associated with evildoers." Similarly, "anyone who seeks out the company of such vicious creatures as werewolves and giants would appear to have a fondness for violence."_

 _Albus Dumbledore should surely consider whether a boy such as this should be allowed to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Some fear that Potter might resort to the Dark Arts in his desperation to win the tournament, the third task of which takes place this evening._

"Gone off me a bit, hasn't she?" said Harry lightly, folding up the paper.

Over at the Slytherin table, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were laughing at him, tapping their heads with their fingers, pulling grotesquely mad faces, and waggling their tongues like snakes.

"OY MALFOY!" Gienah shouted. Half the hall turned. Malfoy looked a little nervous. "I can speak to snakes too you jerk. And so can your sister. Her and Vanajakshi are great friends. Aren't you sweetie?" Gienah stroked her golden cobra.

Malfoy turned beet red as a few students having read the article raised their eyebrow at him.

"She's lying" Draco hissed.

"Like hell I am" Gienah said and began hissing to her snake. Vanajakshi then darted through scuttling legs and up the Slytherin table, raising her beautiful head near Draco's. remembering the last confrontation with the snake Malfoy sprinted out of the hall.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor" Professor Snape said as he passed their table. Gienah grinned when she saw the smirk on his face she was sure no one could see but her.

Harry, Ron and Hermione laughed heartily after the display.

"How did she know your scar hurt in Divination?" Ron said. "There's no way she was there, there's no way she could've heard -"

"The window was open," said Harry. "I opened it to breathe."

"You were at the top of North Tower!" Hermione said. "Your voice couldn't have carried all the way down to the grounds!"

"Well, you're the one who's supposed to be researching magical methods of bugging!" said Harry. "You tell me how she did it!"

"I've been trying!" said Hermione. "But I...but..."

An odd, dreamy expression suddenly came over Hermione's face. She slowly raised a hand and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Are you all right?" said Ron, frowning at her.

"Yes," said Hermione breathlessly. She ran her fingers through her hair again, and then held her hand up to her mouth, as though speaking into an invisible walkie-talkie. Harry and Ron stared at each other.

"I've had an idea," Hermione said, gazing into space. "I think I know...because then no one would be able to see...even Moody...and she'd have been able to get onto the window ledge...but she's not allowed...she's definitely not allowed...I think we've got her! Just give me two seconds in the library - just to make sure!"

With that, Hermione seized her school bag and dashed out of the Great Hall.

"Oi!" Ron called after her. "We've got our History of Magic exam in ten minutes! Blimey," he said, turning back to Harry, "she must really hate that Skeeter woman to risk missing the start of an exam. What're you going to do in Binns's class - read again?"

Exempt from the end-of-term tests as a Triwizard champion, Harry had been sitting in the back of every exam class so far, looking up fresh hexes for the third task.

"S'pose so," Harry said to Ron; but just then. Professor McGonagall came walking alongside the Gryffindor table toward him.

"Potter, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast," she said.

"But the task's not till tonight!" said Harry, accidentally spilling scrambled eggs down his front, afraid he had mistaken the time.

"I'm aware of that, Potter," she said. "The champions' families are invited to watch the final task, you know. This is simply a chance for you to greet them."

She moved away.

"Ooh! Dad's here!" Gienah squeaked. "Missy!"

Missy appeared and curtsied, holding Ambrosia on her hip.

"Go with Harry, Sirius and Remus are here." Gienah said, kissing her bleary eyed daughter.

"Good luck!" Missy called as Gienah ran out of the hall.

At lunch Gienah came in with Hermione reeling over all the points she'd written in her essay.

"Dad!" Gienah cried, running to hug Sirius and then Remus. More than a few eyes were on her fathers. A few girls were clearly admiring him while others looked over warily. Lupin was holding Ambrosia in his arms.

"Hello love." Sirius said. "I don't like Amons much, I'll tell you."

Sirius was eyeing Mr. Diggory from across the hall.

"Dad" Gienah warned.

"Isn't Flear a darling?" Sirius said, quickly flashing a smile. "She knows Alyssandra from Beauxbatons. She's working in Gringott's this summer so I've invited her to dine with us once she's settled in."

"What are you up to?" Gienah said narrowing her eyes. "Dad, what is he up to?"

"I think he wants to set her up with Bill, but I can't be sure. He flirted a lot." Lupin said.

"How's Maia?" Gienah asked.

"Identical to this one." Lupin said, nuzzling her nose. "We had to charm her hair and eyes to match mine. But she still looks like a Black."

Gienah, Ron and Hermione took their last exams in the afternoon and came to dinner in celbratory moods, though Harry looked a littlemore than nervous. Sirius and Lupin spent the entire dinner trying to cheer him up but it didn't help much.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."

Harry got up. Gienah ran over to Cedric and kissed him passionately. The Gryffindors all along the table were applauding Harry; the Weasleys and Hermione all wished him good luck, and he headed off out of the Great Hall with Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor.

They walked onto the Quidditch field, which was now completely unrecognizable. A twenty-foot-high hedge ran all the way around the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of them: the entrance to the vast maze. The passage beyond it looked dark and creepy.

Five minutes later, the stands had begun to fill; the air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet as the hundreds of students filed into their seats. The sky was a deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear. Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick came walking into the stadium and approached Bagman and the champions. They were wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the back of his moleskin vest.

Gienah sat at a row closest to the stadium, fluttering nervously.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky. "In second place, with eighty points - Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause. "And in third place - Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

"So...on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" said Bagman. "Three - two - one -"

He gave a short blast on his whistle, and Harry and Cedric hurried forward into the maze.


	38. The Dark Lord Returns

Chapter Forty-Two: **The Dark Lord Returns**

Gienah knew something had happened. Something had gone wrong. Moody was walking around in a feverish manner. Dumbledore was frowning. The crowd was becoming restless. Krum and Fleur had both forfeited. Both her boyfriend and her brother were still in there.

Two hours of nail biting passed. She had sent Ambrosia to bed with Missy. But then… Dumbledore was running. Two figures.. On the floor. A torrent of sound deafened and confused her; there were voices everywhere, footsteps, screams...

"Harry! Harry!"

He was looking up at the starry sky, and Albus Dumbledore was crouched over him. The dark shadows of a crowd of people pressed in around them, pushing nearer.

"Why are they screaming?" Gienah whispered.

"Gienah.." Sirius tried to hold her back but she was flying.

"Out of my way!" Gienah screeched. People ran from her, seeing only an enraged veela with vicious claws.

Dumbledore was leaning over Harry, so pale, so shaken. He was clutching Cedric who wasn't even conscious. Gienah felt a strange feeling. And all the world stopped. The noises were silenced. Dumbledore was still. All she could sense was this feeling and that moment, seeing his blank eyes and his pale face and his limp body. Her Lincoln. The father of her child.

"Cedric!" Gienah screamed.

The sound was agony itself. Gienah fell beside him and cradled him, kissed his cold lips and urged that he woke again. But there was no injury to cure, no wound to dress, it was cold and as clear as day. The hard truth. He had been murdered. This was a victim of the killing curse.

"Noooo!" Gienah cried, looking to the heavens. "BRING HIM BACK!"

"He's back," Harry whispered. "He's back. Voldemort."

"What's going on? What's happened?"

The face of Cornelius Fudge appeared upside down over Harry; it looked white, appalled.

"My God - Diggory!" it whispered. "Dumbledore - he's dead!"

The words were repeated, the shadowy figures pressing in on them gasped it to those around them...and then others shouted it - screeched it - into the night - "He's dead!" "He's dead!" "Cedric Diggory! Dead!"

"Ms. Black, let go of him," she heard Fudge's voice say, and she felt fingers trying to pry her from Cedric's limp body, but Gienah wouldn't let him go.

"HE IS MINE!" Gienah yelled, her voice hoarse. Then it was Sirius and Lupin and Hermione. Hermione was sobbing. Sirius looked like the day she'd first seen him in Azkaban.

"Gienah love." Sirius whispered. "There's no use holding him."

"I- I -I can't leave him" Gienah was breathing erratically, her chest rising sharply.

Girls were screaming, sobbing hysterically...The scene flickered oddly before Gienah's eyes...

Finally she let him go.

"Harry.." Gienah said, looking around. "He's alive, hurt- Dumbledore - where is he?"

Sirius looked around. Gienah kissed Cedric's cold lips once more and ran to find her brother. Summoning the Marauder's Map she saw he was being taken by… Crouch.

"Impossible" Gienah whispered. She closed her eyes and flew, faster than her wings had ever carried her. Moody's office.. She didn't dare believe it.. All this time. Karkaroff, Crouch, Bagman, even Skeeter. Never had she suspected Moody to be compromised.

Gienah found the door locked. She turned into an ant and crawled beneath the door. Gienah turned into a fly and came into the room, blinking to make sure she was seeing right. Moody was speaking to Harry, but he was injured and his wand was drawn threateningly.

"...the elf to the staffroom to collect some robes for cleaning. I staged a loud conversation with Professor McGonagall about the hostages who had been taken, and whether Potter would think to use gillyweed. And your little elf friend ran straight to Snape's office and then hurried to find you..."

Moody's wand was still pointing directly at Harry's heart. Over his shoulder, foggy shapes were moving in the Foe-Glass on the wall.

"You were so long in that lake, Potter, I thought you had drowned. But luckily, Dumbledore took your idiocy for nobility, and marked you high for it. I breathed again.

"You had an easier time of it than you should have in that maze tonight, of course," said Moody. "I was patrolling around it, able to see through the outer hedges, able to curse many obstacles out of your way. I Stunned Fleur Delacour as she passed. I put the Imperius Curse on Krum, so that he would finish Diggory and leave your path to the cup clear."

Gienah shook her head, attempting to see clearly past her grief.

The foggy shapes in the Foe-Glass were sharpening, had become more distinct.

"The Dark Lord didn't manage to kill you. Potter, and he so wanted to," whispered Moody. "Imagine how he will reward me when he finds I have done it for him. I gave you to him - the thing he needed above all to regenerate - and then I killed you for him. I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter...closer than a son..."

Moody's normal eye was bulging, the magical eye fixed upon Harry.

"The Dark Lord and I," said Moody, and he looked completely insane now, towering over Harry, leering down at him, "have much in common. Both of us, for instance, had very disappointing fathers...very disappointing indeed. Both of us suffered the indignity, Harry, of being named after those fathers. And both of us had the pleasure...the very great pleasure...of killing our fathers to ensure the continued rise of the Dark Order!"

"You're mad," Harry said - he couldn't stop himself- "you're mad!"

"Mad, am I?" said Moody, his voice rising uncontrollably. "We'll see! We'll see who's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side! He is back, Harry Potter, you did not conquer him - and now - I conquer you!"

Moody raised his wand, he opened his mouth; Harry plunged his own hand into his robes -

"Stupefy!" There was a blinding flash of red light, and with a great splintering and crashing, the door of Moody's office was blasted apart -

Moody was thrown backward onto the office floor. Harry, still staring at the place where Moody's face had been, saw Albus Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and Professor McGonagall looking back at him out of the Foe-Glass. He looked around and saw the three of them standing in the doorway, Dumbledore in front, his wand outstretched. Then he gasped when he saw Gienah in the room beside him. her wand drawn in disgust, her face puffy from crying.

Dumbledore stepped into the office, placed a foot underneath Moody's unconscious body, and kicked him over onto his back, so that his face was visible. Snape followed him, looking into the Foe-Glass, where his own face was still visible, glaring into the room. Professor McGonagall went straight to Harry.

"Come along, Potter," she whispered. The thin line of her mouth was twitching as though she was about to cry. "Come along...hospital wing..."

"No," said Dumbledore sharply.

"Dumbledore, he ought to - look at him - he's been through enough tonight -"

"He will stay, Minerva, because he needs to understand," said Dumbledore curtly. "Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. He needs to know who has put him through the ordeal he has suffered tonight, and why,"

"Moody," Harry said. He was still in a state of complete disbelief. "How can it have been Moody?"

"That isn't Moody" Gienah hissed. "It's Crouch! He never died. I can't believe it was actually him.

"You have never known Alastor Moody Harry" said Dumbledore quietly. "The real Moody would not have removed you from my sight after what happened tonight. The moment he took you, I knew - and I followed."

If that was true… this couldn't be Crouch. Crouch had been in the same room with Moody… The only conclusion she could draw was his son and that was impossible.

Dumbledore bent down over Moody's limp form and put a hand inside his robes. He pulled out Moody's hip flask and a set of keys on a ring. Then he turned to Professors McGonagall and Snape.

"Severus, please fetch me the strongest Truth Potion you possess, and then go down to the kitchens and bring up the house-elf called Winky. Minerva, kindly ask Sirius and Remus to wait in my office."

Both turned at once and left the office. Dumbledore walked over to the trunk with seven locks, fitted the first key in the lock, and opened it. It contained a mass of spell-books. Dumbledore closed the trunk, placed a second key in the second lock, and opened the trunk again. The spellbooks had vanished; this time it contained an assortment of broken Sneako-scopes, some parchment and quills, and what looked like a silvery Invisibility Cloak. Gienah watched, astounded, as Dumbledore placed the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth keys in their respective locks, reopening the trunk each time, and revealing different contents each time. Then he placed the seventh key in the lock, threw open the lid, and Gienah let out a cry of amazement.

She was looking down into a kind of pit, an underground room, and lying on the floor some ten feet below, apparently fast asleep, thin and starved in appearance, was the real Mad-Eye Moody. His wooden leg was gone, the socket that should have held the magical eye looked empty beneath its lid, and chunks of his grizzled hair were missing. Gienah stared, thunderstruck, between the sleeping Moody in the trunk and the unconscious Moody lying on the floor of the office.

Dumbledore climbed into the trunk, lowered himself, and fell lightly onto the floor beside the sleeping Moody. He bent over him.

"Stunned - controlled by the Imperius Curse - very weak," he said. "Of course, they would have needed to keep him alive. Gienah, throw down the imposter's cloak - he's freezing. Madam Pomfrey will need to see him, but he seems in no immediate danger."

Gienah did as she was told; Dumbledore covered Moody in the cloak, tucked it around him, and clambered out of the trunk again. Then he picked up the hip flask that stood upon the desk, unscrewed it, and turned it over. A thick glutinous liquid splattered onto the office floor.

"Polyjuice Potion," said Dumbledore. "You see the simplicity of it, and the brilliance. For Moody never does drink except from his hip flask, he's well known for it. The imposter needed, of course, to keep the real Moody close by, so that he could continue making the potion. You see his hair..." Dumbledore looked down on the Moody in the trunk. "The imposter has been cutting it off all year, see where it is uneven? But I think, in the excitement of tonight, our fake Moody might have forgotten to take it as frequently as he should have done...on the hour...every hour...We shall see."

Dumbledore pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down upon it, his eyes fixed upon the unconscious Moody on the floor. Gienah stared at him too. Minutes passed in silence...

Then, before her very eyes, the face of the man on the floor began to change. The scars were disappearing, the skin was becoming smooth; the mangled nose became whole and started to shrink. The long mane of grizzled gray hair was withdrawing into the scalp and turning the color of straw. Suddenly, with a loud clunk, the wooden leg fell away as a normal leg regrew in its place; next moment, the magical eyeball had popped out of the man's face as a real eye replaced it; it rolled away across the floor and continued to swivel in every direction.

Gienah saw a man lying before her, pale-skinned, slightly freckled, with a mop of fair hair.

There were hurried footsteps outside in the corridor. Snape had returned with Winky at his heels. Professor McGonagall was right behind them.

"Crouch!" Snape said, stopping dead in the doorway. "Barty Crouch!"

"Good heavens," said Professor McGonagall, stopping dead and staring down at the man on the floor.

Filthy, disheveled, Winky peered around Snape's legs. Her mouth opened wide and she let out a piercing shriek.

"Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you doing here?"

She flung herself forward onto the young man's chest.

"You is killed him! You is killed him! You is killed Master's son!"

"He is simply Stunned, Winky," said Dumbledore. "Step aside, please. Severus, you have the potion?"

Snape handed Dumbledore a small glass bottle of completely clear liquid. Dumbledore got up, bent over the man on the floor, and pulled him into a sitting position against the wall beneath the Foe-Glass, in which the reflections of Dumbledore, Gienah, Snape, and McGonagall were still glaring down upon them all. Winky remained on her knees, trembling, her hands over her face. Dumbledore forced the mans mouth open and poured three drops inside it. Then he pointed his wand at the mans chest and said, "Ennervate."

Crouch's son opened his eyes. His face was slack, his gaze unfocused. Dumbledore knelt before him, so that their faces were level.

"Can you hear me?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

The man's eyelids flickered.

"Yes," he muttered.

"I would like you to tell us," said Dumbledore softly, "how you came to be here. How did you escape from Azkaban?"

Crouch took a deep, shuddering breath, then began to speak in a flat, expressionless voice.

"My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She persuaded my father to rescue me as a last favor to her. He loved her as he had never loved me. He agreed. They came to visit me. They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my mother's hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my hairs. We took on each other's appearance."

Winky was shaking her head, trembling.

"Say no more. Master Barty, say no more, you is getting your father into trouble!"

But Crouch took another deep breath and continued in the same flat voice.

"The dementors are blind. They sensed one healthy, one dying person entering Azkaban. They sensed one healthy, one dying person leaving it. My father smuggled me out, disguised as my mother, in case any prisoners were watching through their doors.

"My mother died a short while afterward in Azkaban. She was careful to drink Polyjuice Potion until the end. She was buried under my name and bearing my appearance. Everyone believed her to be me."

The man's eyelids flickered.

"And what did your father do with you, when he had got you home?" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Staged my mother's death. A quiet, private funeral. That grave is empty. The house-elf nursed me back to health. Then I had to be concealed. I had to be controlled. My father had to use a number of spells to subdue me. When I had recovered my strength, I thought only of finding my master...of returning to his service."

"How did your father subdue you?" said Dumbledore.

"The Imperius Curse," Moody said. "I was under my fathers control. I was forced to wear an Invisibility Cloak day and night. I was always with the house-elf. She was my keeper and caretaker. She pitied me. She persuaded my father to give me occasional treats. Rewards for my good behavior."

"Master Barty, Master Barty," sobbed Winky through her hands. "You isn't ought to tell them, we is getting in trouble..."

"Did anybody ever discover that you were still alive?" said Dumbledore softly. "Did anyone know except your father and the house-elf?"

"Yes," said Crouch, his eyelids flickering again. "A witch in my father's office. Bertha Jorkins. She came to the house with papers for my father's signature. He was not at home. Winky showed her inside and returned to the kitchen, to me. But Bertha Jorkins heard Winky talking to me. She came to investigate. She heard enough to guess who was hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. My father arrived home. She confronted him. He put a very powerful Memory Charm on her to make her forget what she'd found out. Too powerful. He said it damaged her memory permanently."

"Why is she coming to nose into my masters private business?" sobbed Winky. "Why isn't she leaving us be?"

"Tell me about the Quidditch World Cup," said Dumbledore.

"Winky talked my father into it," said Crouch, still in the same monotonous voice. "She spent months persuading him. I had not left the house for years. I had loved Quidditch. Let him go, she said. He will be in his Invisibility Cloak. He can watch. Let him smell fresh air for once. She said my mother would have wanted it. She told my father that my mother had died to give me freedom. She had not saved me for a life of imprisonment. He agreed in the end.

"It was carefully planned. My father led me and Winky up to the Top Box early in the day. Winky was to say that she was saving a seat for my father. I was to sit there, invisible. When everyone had left the box, we would emerge. Winky would appear to be alone. Nobody would ever know.

"But Winky didn't know that I was growing stronger. I was starting to fight my father's Imperius Curse. There were times when I was almost myself again. There were brief periods when I seemed outside his control. It happened, there, in the Top Box. It was like waking from a deep sleep. I found myself out in public, in the middle of the match, and I saw, in front of me, a wand sticking out of a boys pocket. I had not been allowed a wand since before Azkaban. I stole it. Winky didn't know. Winky is frightened of heights. She had her face hidden."

"Master Barty, you bad boy!" whispered Winky, tears trickling between her fingers.

"So you took the wand," said Dumbledore, "and what did you do with it?"

"We went back to the tent," said Crouch. "Then we heard them. We heard the Death Eaters. The ones who had never been to Azkaban. The ones who had never suffered for my master. They had turned their backs on him. They were not enslaved, as I was. They were free to seek him, but they did not. They were merely making sport of Muggles. The sound of their voices awoke me. My mind was clearer than it had been in years. I was angry. I had the wand.

I wanted to attack them for their disloyalty to my master. My father had left the tent; he had gone to free the Muggles. Winky was afraid to see me so angry. She used her own brand of magic to bind me to her. She pulled me from the tent, pulled me into the forest, away from the Death Eaters. I tried to hold her back. I wanted to return to the campsite. I wanted to show those Death Eaters what loyalty to the Dark Lord meant, and to punish them for their lack of it. I used the stolen wand to cast the Dark Mark into the sky.

"Ministry wizards arrived. They shot Stunning Spells everywhere. One of the spells came through the trees where Winky and I stood. The bond connecting us was broken. We were both Stunned.

"When Winky was discovered, my father knew I must be nearby. He searched the bushes where she had been found and felt me lying there. He waited until the other Ministry members had left the forest. He put me back under the Imperius Curse and took me home. He dismissed Winky. She had failed him. She had let me acquire a wand. She had almost let me escape."

Winky let out a wail of despair.

"Now it was just Father and I, alone in the house. And then...and then..." Crouch's head rolled on his neck, and an insane grin spread across his face. "My master came for me.

"He arrived at our house late one night in the arms of his servant Wormtail. My master had found out that I was still alive. He had captured Bertha Jorkins in Albania. He had tortured her. She told him a great deal. She told him about the Triwizard Tournament. She told him the old Auror, Moody, was going to teach at Hogwarts. He tortured her until he broke through the Memory Charm my father had placed upon her. She told him I had escaped from Azkaban. She told him my father kept me imprisoned to prevent me from seeking my master. And so my master knew that I was still his faithful servant - perhaps the most faithful of all. My master conceived a plan, based upon the information Bertha had given him. He needed me. He arrived at our house near midnight. My father answered the door."

The smile spread wider over Crouch's face, as though recalling the sweetest memory of his life. Winky's petrified brown eyes were visible through her fingers. She seemed too appalled to speak.

"It was very quick. My father was placed under the Imperius Curse by my master. Now my father was the one imprisoned, controlled. My master forced him to go about his business as usual, to act as though nothing was wrong. And I was released. I awoke. I was myself again, alive as I hadn't been in years.

"And what did Lord Voldemort ask you to do?" said Dumbledore.

"He asked me whether I was ready to risk everything for him. I was ready. It was my dream, my greatest ambition, to serve him, to prove myself to him. He told me he needed to place a faithful servant at Hogwarts. A servant who would guide Harry Potter through the Triwizard Tournament without appearing to do so. A servant who would watch over Harry Potter. Ensure he reached the Triwizard Cup. Turn the cup into a Portkey, which would take the first person to touch it to my master. But first -"

"You needed Alastor Moody," said Dumbledore. His blue eyes were blazing, though his voice remained calm.

"Wormtail and I did it. We had prepared the Polyjuice Potion beforehand. We journeyed to his house. Moody put up a struggle. There was a commotion. We managed to subdue him just in time. Forced him into a compartment of his own magical trunk. Took some of his hair and added it to the potion. I drank it; I became Moody's double. I took his leg and his eye. I was ready to face Arthur Weasley when he arrived to sort out the Muggles who had heard a disturbance. I made the dustbins move around the yard. I told Arthur Weasley I had heard intruders in my yard, who had set off the dustbins. Then I packed up Moody's clothes and Dark detectors, put them in the trunk with Moody, and set off for Hogwarts. I kept him alive, under the Imperius Curse. I wanted to be able to question him. To find out about his past, learn his habits, so that I could fool even Dumbledore. I also needed his hair to make the Polyjuice Potion. The other ingredients were easy. I stole boom-slang skin from the dungeons. When the Potions master found me in his office, I said I was under orders to search it."

"And what became of Wormtail after you attacked Moody?" said Dumbledore.

"Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father's house, and to keep watch over my father."

"But your father escaped," said Dumbledore.

"Yes. After a while he began to fight the Imperius Curse just as I had done. There were periods when he knew what was happening. My master decided it was no longer safe for my father to leave the house. He forced him to send letters to the Ministry instead. He made him write and say he was ill. But Wormtail neglected his duty. He was not watchful enough. My father escaped. My master guessed that he was heading for Hogwarts. My father was going to tell Dumbledore everything, to confess. He was going to admit that he had smuggled me from Azkaban.

"My master sent me word of my father's escape. He told me to stop him at all costs. So I waited and watched. For a week I waited for my father to arrive at Hogwarts. At last, one evening, I saw my father entering the grounds. He was walking around the edge of the forest. Then Potter came, and Krum. I waited. I could not hurt Potter; my master needed him. Potter ran to get Dumbledore. I Stunned Krum. I killed my father."

"Noooo!" wailed Winky. "Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you saying?"

"You killed your father," Dumbledore said, in the same soft voice. "What did you do with the body?"

"Carried it into the forest. Covered it with the Invisibility Cloak. I walked back out of the forest, doubled around behind them, went to meet them. I told Dumbledore Snape had told me where to come.

"Dumbledore told me to go and look for my father. I went back to my father's body. I Transfigured my father's body. He became a bone...I buried it, while wearing the Invisibility Cloak, in the freshly dug earth in front of Hagrid's cabin."

There was complete silence now, except for Winky's continued sobs. Then Dumbledore said, "And tonight..."

"I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup into the maze before dinner," whispered Barty Crouch. "Turned it into a Portkey. My master's plan worked. He is returned to power and I will be honored by him beyond the dreams of wizards."

The insane smile lit his features once more, and his head drooped onto his shoulder as Winky wailed and sobbed at his side.

Dumbledore stood up. He stared down at Barty Crouch for a moment with disgust on his face. Then he raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it, ropes that twisted themselves around Barty Crouch, binding him tightly. He turned to Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva, could I ask you to stand guard here while I take Harry and Gienah upstairs?"

"Of course," said Professor McGonagall. She looked slightly nauseous, as though she had just watched someone being sick. However, when she drew out her wand and pointed it at Barty Crouch, her hand was quite steady.

"Severus" - Dumbledore turned to Snape - "please tell Madam Pomfrey to come down here; we need to get Alastor Moody into the hospital wing. Then go down into the grounds, find Cornelius Fudge, and bring him up to this office. He will undoubtedly want to question Crouch himself. Tell him I will be in the hospital wing in half an hour's time if he needs me."

Snape nodded silently and swept out of the room.

"Harry?" Dumbledore said gently.

Harry got up and swayed again; the pain in his leg, which he had not noticed all the time he had been listening to Crouch, now returned in full measure. He also realized that he was shaking. Dumbledore gripped his arm and helped him out into the dark corridor.

"I want you to come up to my office first. Harry, Gienah, you too" he said quietly as they headed up the passageway.

"Professor," Gienah said, "where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?"

"They are with Professor Sprout," said Dumbledore. His voice, which had been so calm throughout the interrogation of Barty Crouch, shook very slightly for the first time. "She was Head of Cedric's house, and knew him best."

They had reached the stone gargoyle. Dumbledore gave the password, it sprang aside, and they went up the moving spiral staircase to the oak door. Dumbledore pushed it open. Sirius and Remus were standing by the window.

"Harry, are you all right? I knew it - I knew something like this - what happened?" Sirius asked.

His hands shook as he helped Harry into a chair in front of the desk.

"What happened?" he asked more urgently.

Dumbledore began to tell Sirius everything Barty Crouch had said.

"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze. Harry," said Dumbledore.

"We can leave that till morning, can't we, Dumbledore?" said Sirius harshly. He had put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Let him have a sleep. Let him rest."

"If I thought I could help you," Dumbledore said gently, "by putting you into an enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would have to think about what has happened tonight, I would do it. But I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened."

He took a deep breath and began to tell them.

Once or twice, Sirius made a noise as though about to say something, his hand still tight on Harry's shoulder, but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him.

When Harry told of Wormtail piercing his arm with the dagger, however, Sirius let out a vehement exclamation and Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Harry started. Dumbledore walked around the desk and told Harry to stretch out his arm. Harry showed them the place where his robes were torn and the cut beneath them.

"He said my blood would make him stronger than if he'd used someone else's," Harry told Dumbledore. "He said the protection my - my mother left in me - he'd have it too. And he was right - he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face."

"Very well," he said, sitting down again. "Voldemort has overcome that particular barrier. Harry, continue, please."

Harry went on; he explained how Voldemort had emerged from the cauldron, and told them all he could remember of Voldemort's speech to the Death Eaters. Then he told how Voldemort had untied him, returned his wand to him, and prepared to duel.

He was glad when Sirius broke the silence.

"The wands connected?" he said, looking from Harry to Dumbledore. "Why?"

Harry looked up at Dumbledore again, on whose face there was an arrested look.

"Priori Incantatem," he muttered.

His eyes gazed into Harry's.

"The Reverse Spell effect?" said Sirius sharply.

"Exactly," said Dumbledore. "Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand share cores. Each of them contains a feather from the tail of the same phoenix. This phoenix, in fact," he added, and he pointed at the scarlet-and-gold bird, perching peacefully on Harry's knee.

"My wand's feather came from Fawkes?" Harry said, amazed.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "Mr. Ollivander wrote to tell me you had bought the second wand, the moment you left his shop four years ago."

"So what happens when a wand meets its brother?" said Sirius.

"They will not work properly against each other," said Dumbledore. "If, however, the owners of the wands force the wands to do battle...a very rare effect will take place. One of the wands will force the other to regurgitate spells it has performed - in reverse. The most recent first...and then those which preceded it..."

He looked interrogatively at Harry, and Harry nodded.

"Which means," said Dumbledore slowly, his eyes upon Harry's face, "that some form of Cedric must have reappeared."

Harry nodded again. Gienah gulped.

"Diggory came back to life?" said Sirius sharply.

"No spell can reawaken the dead," said Dumbledore heavily. "All that would have happened is a kind of reverse echo. A shadow of the living Cedric would have emerged from the wand...am I correct, Harry?"

"He spoke to me," Harry said. He was suddenly shaking again. "The...the ghost Cedric, or whatever he was, spoke."

"An echo," said Dumbledore, "which retained Cedric's appearance and character. I am guessing other such forms appeared...less recent victims of Voldemort's wand..."

"An old man," Harry said, his throat still constricted. "Bertha Jorkins. And..."

"Your parents?" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Yes," said Harry.

Sirius's grip on Harry's shoulder was now so tight it was painful.

"The last murders the wand performed," said Dumbledore, nodding. "In reverse order. More would have appeared, of course, had you maintained the connection. Very well, Harry, these echoes, these shadows...what did they do?"

Harry described how the figures that had emerged from the wand had prowled the edges of the golden web, how Voldemort had seemed to fear them, how the shadow of Harry's mother had told him what to do, how Cedric's had made its final request.

At this point. Harry found he could not continue. He looked around at Sirius and saw that he had his face in his hands.

"I will say it again," said Dumbledore as the phoenix rose into the air and resettled itself upon the perch beside the door. "You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you tonight. Harry. You have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Voldemort at the height of his powers. You have shouldered a grown wizard's burden and found yourself equal to it - and you have now given us all we have a right to expect. You will come with me to the hospital wing. I do not want you returning to the dormitory tonight. A Sleeping Potion, and some peace..."

Gienah, Sirius, Harry and Dumbledore out of the office, accompanying them down a flight of stairs to the hospital wing.

When Dumbledore pushed open the door. Harry saw Ron, and Hermione grouped around a harassed-looking Madam Pomfrey. They appeared to be demanding to know where Harry was and what had happened to him. All of them whipped around as they entered

"Please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him," he added, looking around at Ron and Hermione, "you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."

"I will be back to see you as soon as I have met with Fudge, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I would like you to remain here tomorrow until I have spoken to the school." He left.

As Madam Pomfrey led Harry to a nearby bed, Gienah caught sight of the real Moody lying motionless in a bed at the far end of the room. His wooden leg and magical eye were lying on the bedside table.

"Is he okay?" Harry asked.

"He'll be fine," said Madam Pomfrey, giving Harry some pajamas and pulling screens around him. Gienah, Lupin, Sirius, Ron and Harry settled themselves in chairs on either side of him. Ron and Hermione were looking at him almost cautiously, as though scared of him.

"I'm all right," he told them. "Just tired."

Madam Pomfrey, who had bustled off to her office, returned holding a small bottle of some purple potion and a goblet.

"You'll need to drink all of this. Harry," she said. "It's a potion for dreamless sleep."

Gienah felt cold. So very cold. If Cedric was alive she'd be craving his warmth, his arms around hers. Whatever faults she had ever found in him he'd always made her feel safe. Missy came for Ambrosia's feeding and left again, leaving Ambrosia sleeping with Ron as Hermione held Gienah in her arms. Then they heard screaming. Gienah lifted her head from her lap and looked around.

"They'll wake him if they don't shut up!"

"What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened, can it?"

"That's Fudge's voice," she whispered. "And that's McGonagall, isn't it? But what are they arguing about?"

"Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva -" Cornelius Fudge was saying loudly.

"You should never have brought it inside the castle!" yelled Professor McGonagall. "When Dumbledore finds out -"

Gienah heard the hospital doors burst open.

Fudge came striding up the ward. Professors McGonagall and Snape were at his heels.

"Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded.

"He's not here," said Hermione angrily. "This is a hospital wing. Minister, don't you think you'd do better to -"

But the door opened, and Dumbledore came sweeping up the ward.

"What has happened?" said Dumbledore sharply, looking from Fudge to Professor McGonagall. "Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you - I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch -"

"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore!" she shrieked. "The Minister has seen to that!"

Gienah had never seen Professor McGonagall lose control like this. There were angry blotches of color in her cheeks, and a hands were balled into fists; she was trembling with fury.-

"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events," said Snape, in a low voice "He seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch -"

"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!" McGonagall fumed. "I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle, but -"

"My dear woman!" roared Fudge, who likewise looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him, "as Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous -"

But Professor McGonagall's voice drowned Fudge's.

"The moment that - that thing entered the room," she screamed, pointing at Fudge, trembling all over, "it swooped down on Crouch and - and -"

"By all accounts, he is no loss!" blustered Fudge. "It seems he has been responsible for several deaths'."

"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius," said Dumbledore. He was staring hard at Fudge, as though seeing him plainly for the first time. "He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people."

"Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery, is it?" blustered Fudge. "He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!"

"Lord Voldemort was giving him instructions, Cornelius," Dumbledore said. "Those people's deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body."

Fudge looked as though someone had just swung a heavy weight into his face. Dazed and blinking, he stared back at Dumbledore as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. He began to sputter, still goggling at Dumbledore.

"You-Know-Who...returned? Preposterous. Come now, Dumbledore..."

"As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you," said Dumbledore, "we heard Barty Crouch confess. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and how Voldemort - learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins - went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry. The plan worked, I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return."

"See here, Dumbledore," said Fudge, and Harry was astonished to see a slight smile dawning on his face, "you - you can't seriously believe that You-Know-Who - back? Come now, come now...certainly, Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders - but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore..."

"When Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort," said Dumbledore steadily. "He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth. I will explain it all to you if you will step up to my office."

Dumbledore glanced around at Harry and saw that he was awake, but shook his head and said, "I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Harry tonight."

Fudge's curious smile lingered. He too glanced at Harry, then looked back at Dumbledore, and said, "You are - er - prepared to take Harry's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?"

There was a moment's silence, which was broken by Sirius growling. His hackles were raised, and he was baring his teeth at Fudge.

"Certainly, I believe Harry," said Dumbledore. His eyes were blazing now. "I heard Crouch's confession, and I heard Harry's account of what happened after he touched the Triwizard Cup; the two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer."

Fudge still had that strange smile on his face. Once again, he glanced at Harry before answering.

"You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who...well..."

Fudge shot Harry another look, and Harry suddenly understood.

"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge," he said quietly.

Ron, Hermione, and Gienah all jumped. None of them had realized that Harry was awake.

Fudge reddened slightly, but a defiant and obstinate look came over his face.

"And if I have?" he said, looking at Dumbledore. "If I have discovered that you've been keeping certain facts about the boy very quiet? A Parselmouth, eh? And having funny turns all over the place -"

"I assume that you are referring to the pains Harry has been experiencing in his scar?" said Dumbledore coolly.

"You admit that he has been having these pains, then?" said Fudge quickly. "Headaches? Nightmares? Possibly - hallucinations?"

"Listen to me, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, taking a step toward Fudge, and once again, he seemed to radiate that indefinable sense of power that Harry had felt after Dumbledore had Stunned young Crouch. "Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous."

Fudge had taken half a step back from Dumbledore, but he looked no less stubborn.

"You'll forgive me, Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before..."

"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" Harry shouted. He tried to get out of bed again, but Hermione forced him back. "I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their names! Lucius Malfoy -"

Snape made a sudden movement, but as Harry looked at him, Snape's eyes flew back to Fudge.

"Malfoy was cleared!" said Fudge, visibly affronted. "A very old family - donations to excellent causes -"

"Macnair!" Harry continued.

"Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!"

"Avery - Nott - Crabbe - Goyle -"

"You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago!" said Fudge angrily. "You could have found those names in old reports of the trials! For heavens sake, Dumbledore - the boy was full of some crackpot story at the end of last year too - his tales are getting taller, and you're still swallowing them - the boy can talk to snakes. Dumbledore, and you still think he's trustworthy?"

"You fool!" Professor McGonagall cried. "Cedric Diggory! Mr. Crouch! These deaths were not the random work of a lunatic!"

Gienah was seething.

"How dare you allow Cedric to die in vain!" Gienah roared.

"I see no evidence to the contrary!" shouted Fudge, now matching her anger, his face purpling. "It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked for these last thirteen years!"

"Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore repeated. "If you accept that fact straightaway. Fudge, and take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation. The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the control of the dementors -"

"Preposterous!" shouted Fudge again. "Remove the dementors? I'd be kicked out of office for suggesting it! Half of us only feel safe in our beds at night because we know the dementors are standing guard at Azkaban!"

"The rest of us sleep less soundly in our beds, Cornelius, knowing that you have put Lord Voldemort's most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who will join him the instant he asks them!" said Dumbledore. "They will not remain loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them much more scope for their powers and their pleasures than you can! With the dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard-pressed to stop him regaining the sort of power he had thirteen years ago!"

Fudge was opening and closing his mouth as though no words could express his outrage.

"The second step you must take - and at once," Dumbledore pressed on, "is to send envoys to the giants."

"Envoys to the giants?" Fudge shrieked, finding his tongue again. "What madness is this?"

"Extend them the hand of friendship, now, before it is too late," said Dumbledore, "or Voldemort will persuade them, as he did before, that he alone among wizards will give them their rights and their freedom!"

"You - you cannot be serious!" Fudge gasped, shaking his head and retreating further from Dumbledore. "If the magical community got wind that I had approached the giants - people hate them, Dumbledore - end of my career -"

"You are blinded," said Dumbledore, his voice rising now, the aura of power around him palpable, his eyes blazing once more, "by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius! You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! Your dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any - and see what that man chose to make of his life! I tell you now- take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic we have ever known. Fail to act - and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!"

"Insane," whispered Fudge, still backing away. "Mad..."

And then there was silence.

"If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, "we have reached a parting of the ways. You must act as you see fit. And I - I shall act as I see fit."

Dumbledore's voice carried no hint of a threat; it sounded like a mere statement, but Fudge bristled as though Dumbledore were advancing upon him with a wand.

"Now, see here, Dumbledore," he said, waving a threatening finger. "I've given you free rein, always. I've had a lot of respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you hire werewolves, or keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your students without reference to the Ministry. But if you're going to work against me -"

"The only one against whom I intend to work," said Dumbledore, "is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, then we remain, Cornelius, on the same side."

It seemed Fudge could think of no answer to this. He rocked backward and forward on his small feet for a moment and spun his bowler hat in his hands. Finally, he said, with a hint of a plea in his voice, "He can't be back, Dumbledore, he just can't be..."

Snape strode forward, past Dumbledore, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes as he went. He stuck out his forearm and showed it to Fudge, who recoiled.

"There," said Snape harshly. "There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."

Fudge stepped back from Snape too. He was shaking his head. He did not seem to have taken in a word Snape had said. He stared, apparently repelled by the ugly mark on Snape's arm, then looked up at Dumbledore and whispered, "I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the Ministry."

He had almost reached the door when he paused. He turned around, strode back down the dormitory, and stopped at Harry's bed.

"Your winnings," he said shortly, taking a large bag of gold out of his pocket and dropping it onto Harry's bedside table. "One thousand Galleons. There should have been a presentation ceremony, but under the circumstances..."

He crammed his bowler hat onto his head and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The moment he had disappeared, Dumbledore turned to look at the group around Harry's bed.

"There is work to be done, I need to send a message to Arthur," said Dumbledore. "All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius."

"Minerva," said Dumbledore, turning to Professor McGonagall, "I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. Also - if she will consent to come - Madame Maxime."

Professor McGonagall nodded and left without a word.

"Poppy," Dumbledore said to Madam Pomfrey, "would you be very kind and go down to Professor Moody's office, where I think you will find a house-elf called Winky in considerable distress? Do what you can for her, and take her back to the kitchens. I think Dobby will look after her for us."

"Very - very well," said Madam Pomfrey, looking startled, and she too left.

Dumbledore made sure that the door was closed, and that Madam Pomfrey's footsteps had died away, before he spoke again.

"Sirius, you are to alert Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher - the old crowd."

"Severus," said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, "you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready...if you are prepared..."

"I am," said Snape.

He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely.

"Then good luck," said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius.

It was several minutes before Dumbledore spoke again.

"I must go downstairs," he said finally. "I must see the Diggory's. Harry - take the rest of your potion. I will see all of you later."

Harry slumped back against his pillows as Dumbledore disappeared. Hermione, Ron, and Gienah were all looking at him. None of them spoke for a very long time.

"It wasn't your fault. Harry," Hermione whispered.

"I told him to take the cup with me," said Harry.

Gienah couldn't look at him.

Now the burning feeling was in his throat too. He wished Ron would look away.

Gienah began to cry again and this time Ron held her. He wasn't Cedric, but his arms were big and warm.

There was a loud slamming noise. Hermione was standing by the window. She was holding something tight in her hand.

"Sorry," she whispered.

Harry drank his potion in one gulp. The effect was instantaneous. Heavy, irresistible waves of dreamless sleep broke over him; he fell back onto his pillows and thought no more.

They did not blame him for what had happened; on the contrary, both thanked him for returning Cedric's body to them. Mr. Diggory sobbed through most of the interview. Mrs. Diggory's grief seemed to be beyond tears.

"He suffered very little then," she said, when Harry had told her how Cedric had died. "And after all, Amos...he died just when he'd won the tournament. He must have been happy."

"Gienah" Mrs. Cedric said. "You will bring Ambrosia around won't you?"

Gienah nodded.

When they got to their feet, she looked down at Harry and said, "You look after yourself, now."

Harry seized the sack of gold on the bedside table.

"You take this," he muttered to her. "It should've been Cedric's, he got there first, you take it -"

But she backed away from him.

"Oh no, it's yours, dear, I couldn't...you keep it."

Gienah spent the rest of the term with Ambrosia in her arms. Missy resorted to following her around the castle with nothing to do. GIenah refused to let her out of her sight. People would whisper as she passed, making up their own theories about his death, but when she glared at them they looked away with guilt.

It was with a heavy heart that Gienah packed her trunk up in the dormitory on the night before her return to Lupin Cottage. She was dreading the Leaving Feast, which was usually a cause for celebration, when the winner of the Inter-House Championship would be announced. She felt that when she left, she'd be leaving a chapter in her life.

When Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Hall, they saw at once that the usual decorations were missing. The Great Hall was normally decorated with the winning House's colors for the Leaving Feast. Tonight, however, there were black drapes on the wall behind the teachers' table. Gienah knew instantly that they were there as a mark of respect to Cedric.

The real Mad-Eye Moody was at the staff table now, his wooden leg and his magical eye back in place. He was extremely twitchy, jumping every time someone spoke to him. Professor Karkaroff's chair was empty. GIenah wondered, as she sat down with the other Gryffindors, where Karkaroff was now, and whether Voldemort had caught up with him.

Madame Maxime was still there. She was sitting next to Hagrid. They were talking quietly together. Further along the table, sitting next to Professor McGonagall, was Snape. His eyes lingered on Gienah for a moment as Gienah looked at him. His expression was difficult to read.

Gienah's musings were ended by Professor Dumbledore, who stood up at the staff table. The Great Hall, which in any case had been less noisy than it usually was at the Leaving Feast, became very quiet.

"The end," said Dumbledore, looking around at them all, "of another year."

He paused, and his eyes fell upon the Hufflepuff table. Theirs had been the most subdued table before he had gotten to his feet, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall.

"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight," said Dumbledore, "but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here," he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, "enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory."

They did it, all of them; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, and raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, "Cedric Diggory."

Gienah was crying and shaking. Ambrosia looked up at her mother in alarm and Ron took the bewildered child from her.

"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house," Dumbledore continued. "He was a good and loyal friend, a wonderful father, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about."

Gienah raised her head and stared at Dumbledore.

"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort."

A panicked whisper swept the Great Hall. People were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief, in horror. He looked perfectly calm as he watched them mutter themselves into silence.

"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore continued, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so - either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory."

"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death," Dumbledore went on. "I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter."

A kind of ripple crossed the Great Hall as a few heads turned in Harry's direction before flicking back to face Dumbledore.

"Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "He risked his own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts. He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him."

Dumbledore turned gravely to Harry and raised his goblet once more. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall followed suit. They murmured his name, as they had murmured Cedric's, and drank to him.

When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Dumbledore continued, "The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened - of Lord Voldemort's return - such ties are more important than ever before."

Dumbledore looked from Madame Maxime and Hagrid, to Fleur Delacour and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to Viktor Krum and the Durmstrangs at the Slytherin table. Krum, Gienah saw, looked wary, almost frightened, as though he expected Dumbledore to say something harsh.

"Every guest in this Hall," said Dumbledore, and his eyes lingered upon the Durmstrang students, "will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again - in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.

"It is my belief- and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken - that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst.

"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."

Gienah's trunk was packed; Hermes back in her cage on top of it. Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waiting in the crowded entrance hall with the rest of the fourth years for the carriages that would take them back to Hogsmeade station. It was another beautiful summer's day.

"'Arry!"

He looked around. Fleur Delacour was hurrying up the stone steps into the castle. Beyond her, far across the grounds. Gienah could see Hagrid helping Madame Maxime to back two of the giant horses into their harness. The Beauxbatons carriage was about to take off.

"We will see each uzzer again," said Fleur as she reached him, holding out her hand. "Your father 'as invited me to dine with heem".

"Good-bye, 'Arry," said Fleur, turning to go. "It 'az been a pleasure meeting you!"

"Wonder how the Durmstrang students are getting back," said Ron. "D' you reckon they can steer that ship without Karkaroff?"

"Karkaroff did not steer," said a gruff voice. "He stayed in his cabin and let us do the vork."

Krum had come to say good-bye to Hermione. "Could I have a vord?" he asked her.

"Oh...yes...all right," said Hermione, looking slightly flustered, and following Krum through the crowd and out of sight.

"You'd better hurry up!" Ron called loudly after her. "The carriages'll be here in a minute!"

He let Harry keep a watch for the carriages, however, and spent the next few minutes craning his neck over the crowd to try and see what Krum and Hermione might be up to. They returned quite soon. Ron stared at Hermione, but her face was quite impassive.

"I liked Diggory," said Krum abruptly to Harry. "He vos alvays polite to me. Alvays. Even though I vos from Durmstrang - with Karkaroff," he added, scowling.

"I am sorry for your loss. Your daughter has his eyes". Krum said, looking at Ambrosia.

"Have you got a new headmaster yet?" said Harry

Krum shrugged. He held out his hand as Fleur had done, shook Harry's hand, and then Ron's. Ron looked as though he was suffering some sort of painful internal struggle. Krum had already started walking away when Ron burst out, "Can I have your autograph?"

Hermione turned away, smiling at the horseless carriages that were now trundling toward them up the drive, as Krum, looking surprised but gratified, signed a fragment of parchment for Ron.

The weather could not have been more different on the journey back to King's Cross than it had been on their way to Hogwarts the previous September. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had managed to get a compartment to themselves. Pigwidgeon was once again hidden under Ron's dress robes to stop him from hooting continually; Hedwig was dozing, her head under her wing, Hermes was following the train in the sky, and Crookshanks was curled up in a spare seat like a large, furry ginger cushion. Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione talked more fully and freely than they had all week as the train sped them southward.

When Hermione returned from the trolley and put her money back into her schoolbag, she dislodged a copy of the Daily Prophet that she had been carrying in there.

"There's nothing in there. You can look for yourself, but there's nothing at all. I've been checking every day. Just a small piece the day after the third task saying you won the tournament. They didn't even mention Cedric. Nothing about any of it. If you ask me. Fudge is forcing them to keep quiet."

"He'll never keep Rita quiet," said Harry. "Not on a story like this."

"Oh, Rita hasn't written anything at all since the third task," said Hermione in an oddly constrained voice. "As a matter of fact," she added, her voice now trembling slightly, "Rita Skeeter isn't going to be writing anything at all for a while. Not unless she wants me to spill the beans on her."

"What are you talking about?" said Ron.

"I found out how she was listening in on private conversations when she wasn't supposed to be coming onto the grounds," said Hermione in a rush.

Gienah had the impression that Hermione had been dying to tell them this for days, but that she had restrained herself in light of everything else that had happened.

"How was she doing it?" said Harry at once.

"How did you find out?" said Ron, staring at her.

"Oh please let this be good" Gienah said.

"Well, it was you, really, who gave me the idea. Harry," she said.

"Did I?" said Harry, perplexed. "How?"

"Bugging," said Hermione happily.

"But you said they didn't work -"

"Oh not electronic bugs," said Hermione. "No, you see...Rita Skeeter" - Hermione's voice trembled with quiet triumph - "is an unregistered Animagus. She can turn -"

Hermione pulled a small sealed glass jar out other bag.

"- into a beetle."

"You're kidding," said Ron. "You haven't...she's not..."

"Oh yes she is," said Hermione happily, brandishing the jar at them.

Inside were a few twigs and leaves and one large, fat beetle.

Gienah laughed.

"That's never - you're kidding -" Ron whispered, lifting the jar to his eyes.

"No, I'm not," said Hermione, beaming. "I caught her on the windowsill in the hospital wing. Look very closely, and you'll notice the markings around her antennae are exactly like those foul glasses she wears."

"There was a beetle on the statue the night we heard Hagrid telling Madame Maxime about his mum!"

"Exactly," said Hermione. "And Viktor pulled a beetle out of my hair after we'd had our conversation by the lake. And unless I'm very much mistaken, Rita was perched on the windowsill of the Divination class the day your scar hurt. She's been buzzing around for stories all year."

"When we saw Malfoy under that tree..." said Ron slowly.

"He was talking to her, in his hand," said Hermione. "He knew, of course. That's how she's been getting all those nice little interviews with the Slytherins. They wouldn't care that she was doing something illegal, as long as they were giving her horrible stuff about us and Hagrid."

Hermione took the glass jar back from Ron and smiled at the beetle, which buzzed angrily against the glass.

"I've told her I'll let her out when we get back to London," said Hermione. "I've put an Unbreakable Charm on the jar, you see, so she can't transform. And I've told her she's to keep her quill to herself for a whole year. See if she can't break the habit of writing horrible lies about people."

Smiling serenely, Hermione placed the beetle back inside her schoolbag.

The door of the compartment slid open.

"Very clever. Granger," said Draco Malfoy.

Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him. All three of them looked more pleased with themselves, more arrogant and more menacing, than Gienah had ever seen them.

"So," said Malfoy slowly, advancing slightly into the compartment and looking slowly around at them, a smirk quivering on his lips. "You caught some pathetic reporter, and Potter's Dumbledore's favorite boy again. Big deal."

His smirk widened. Crabbe and Goyle leered.

"Trying not to think about it, are we?" said Malfoy softly, looking around at all three of them. "Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?"

"Get out," said Harry.

"You've picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this!" He jerked his head at Ron and Hermione. "Too late now. Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well - second - Diggory was the f-"

It was as though someone had exploded a box of fireworks within the compartment. Blinded by the blaze of the spells that had blasted from every direction, deafened by a series of bangs, Harry blinked and looked down at the floor.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all lying unconscious in the doorway. Gienah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were on their feet, all three of them having used a different hex. Nor were they the only ones to have done so.

"Thought we'd see what those three were up to," said Fred matter-of-factly, stepping onto Goyle and into the compartment. He had his wand out, and so did George, who was careful to tread on Malfoy as he followed Fred inside.

"Interesting effect," said George, looking down at Crabbe. "Who used the Furnunculus Curse?"

"Me," said Harry.

"Odd," said George lightly. "I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face. Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor."

Ron, Harry, and George kicked, rolled, and pushed the unconscious Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle - each of whom looked distinctly the worse for the jumble of jinxes with which they had been hit - out into the corridor, then came back into the compartment and rolled the door shut.

"Exploding Snap, anyone?" said Fred, pulling out a pack of cards.

The rest of the journey passed pleasantly enough; all too soon, the Hogwarts Express was pulling in at platform nine and three-quarters. The usual confusion and noise filled the corridors as the students began to disembark. Gienah, Ron and Hermione struggled out past Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, carrying their trunks.

Lupin was waiting for them on the platform with Mira on his hip and Lyra holding his hand looking eagerly around. Gienah sighed, and held Ambrosia a little closer. She wasn't alone.

A.N. I CAN EDIT! WOOP! Finally, we are here. I will attempt to finish the edit in three days.


	39. The Order of the Phoenix

Chapter Forty-Three: **The Order of the Phoenix**

The Lupin Cottage had become quaint and tranquil once more. Harry, Sirius, Alyssandra, Tonks, Charlie and Cassiopeia had moved into the Black Manor in the first week of their holidays. Harry had moved under Dumbledore's orders. The Manor was much more secure than the cottage and right now his life was in constant danger.

Gienah and Ambrosia still saw Sirius everyday at the reserve but it wasn't the same. Lupin also felt his absence. Breakfasts were less chaotic and nights alone in the library solitary. Andromeda, Lyra and Pandora came to visit often and the children would usually sleep in the double room. They adored their cousins Mira and Maia and most of all, they adored Missy like an aunt. Luna was also a constant companion in the long hot days. On Sunday's the entire family would come to feast upon Lupin and Gienah's cooking and at least once a week either Narcissa or Alyssandra would host a brunch or a tea or a fancy outing to a gallery opening or the opera.

Gienah's days passed cooking in the kitchen with Lupin, reading bedtime stories to the children, in the library studying, long days at the reserve with Ambrosia on her hip as she fed the creatures, reading the newspaper and gathering any information that suggested Voldemort's involvement. The Order of the Phoenix had formed once more and Gienah was denied membership. Understandable but irksome all the same. The headquarters resided at 12 Grimmauld Place. Gienah, Harry, Molly, Sirius, Missy and Poppy had been responsible to making the house habitable once again. Mundungus Fletcher had moved in, to Sirius's vexation but they needed a constant guard despite the house being under the fidelius charm. Dumbledore himself was secret keeper.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _As much as I love my parents I cannot spend another moment isolated from the wizarding world! I would love to take up your offer and spend the remainder of the holiday with you. Mum was upset at first but dad brought them tickets to Morocco soon after I pleaded with him. I haven't told them a thing of course but I think he must suspect something. Anyway, I've told them that you were feeling lonely and after Cedric I felt it a duty to see how you were. Which is not a lie! I will be arriving a week from today at noon._

 _Best regards,_

 _Hermione_

 _Dear Ginny,_

 _You haven't been replying to our letters, please get in touch. Hermione is coming to stay next week and you are welcome too._

 _Love,_

 _Gienah_

"Good morning."

Gienah looked up from her newspaper. Bellatrix had entered the library with Maia in her arms.

"Bella", Gienah gasped.

"You didn't join us for breakfast" Bellatrix pouted. "It was much too quiet for my liking."

"You need a job" Gienah said frankly, taking the coffee Bellatrix offered her.

"I applied for a position in the Improper Use of Magic office" Bellatrix said, running her finger down the shelf of books.

"Oh good!" Gienah said with a sigh. "What position?"

"Mafalda Hopkirk's secretary." Bellatrix said, looking out of the window. "Anything new in the paper?"

"Still unnervingly quiet" Gienah said, looking at Bellatrix looking wistfully out of the window. "Bella, are you happy?"

"I have a loyal husband and two beautiful daughters." Bellatrix said, looking coldly at Gienah. "Why do you ask such a question?"

"I have seen the way you look out of the windows." Gienah said quietly. "Like you are trapped. Is it that the dark lord has returned?"

"I know how Sirius looks at me these days, his eyes give away his suspicions. It is true that I am restless. I was a revolutionary, and now I am applying for jobs for an institution I have no respect for. I betray myself in becoming futile. Even my name betrays my nature Gienah, as does yours. I am a warrioress. I cannot stand in the sidelines of war."

"But you must choose the side of the Order or face death." Gienah said.

"Yes" Bellatrix laughed. "I would fight for the Order, if only to secure peace for my daughters. But would they have me? I think not."

"Working at the ministry would give you plenty opportunity to gather information the ministry will dismiss." Gienah said.

"Perhaps." Bellatrix said. "Dumbledore will ask Remus to contact the werewolves once more."

"Yes" Gienah said sadly.

"We must win." Bellatrix said.

"Indeed we must." Gienah agreed. "For the sake of our children if nothing else is worth dying for."

"They are a fool not to admit you into the Order." Bellatrix said thoughtfully. "I have seen you duel."

With that Bellatrix left the library, leaving Gienah to her thoughts.

 _Dear Alyssandra,_

 _I am in need of a tutor in basic healing. I would be grateful for your assistance._

 _Love,_

 _Gienah_

After cataloguing various articles of minor significance Gienah went downstairs to prepare lunch. Missy was out in the garden with Mira and Ambrosia. Bellatrix was reading a book with Maia on her lap. Gienah was expecting Hermione in an hour. Switching the wizarding radio on, she began preparing her pasta.

"Gienah" Came a dreamy voice.

"Luna, that looks absolutely indulgent." Gienah smiled.

Luna was holding a large glass cake stand with a beautiful victoria sponge perching on top of it.

"I thought we deserved a treat seeing as Hermione was coming over." Luna said, skipping to the dining room. "The tortellini looks wonderful."

"Gienah!" Hermione ran forward and hugged the witch from behind, elbow deep in flour.

"Hermione" Gienah laughed.

Hermione then ran out into the kitchen and kissed both girls. Hermione came back with Ambrosia in her arms, cooing as she did so.

"Aren't you the most beautiful baby Rosie, oh yes you are, yes you are!" Hermione said, tickling the little girl.

"Gosh, I've missed this" Hermione said hugging her tight. "I've missed you all so much."

"That's awfully kind of you to say Hermione" Luna said.

"Well it's the truth, really" Hermione said earnestly. "Now, have you two heard anything from Ginny?"

"I went over to Molly's last week and Gienah wasn't in." Luna said with a small frown. "I am concerned for her. It's first year all over again."

"We'll visit her tomorrow and wait all day till she comes home." Hermione said. "If that's what it'll take.. that's what we'll do."

Gienah nodded.

"Where's Remus?" Luna asked.

"Order business." Gienah rolled her eyes. "Bella's not happy."

"How are you doing without Harry in the house?" Hermione asked.

"The place just feels more grown up." Gienah said. "I'm a mother."

"And how are you coping..?" Hermione hesitated, though Luna looked sharply at her.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Gienah said quietly.

Hermione nodded, but continued to frown.

"Missy!" Gienah called. "Lunch is ready!"

Everyone gathered in the dining room.

"Missy eats with you?" Hermione asked, pleasantly surprised.

"We don't all abuse the help" Gienah smiled. "Though Missy really is part of the family now."

"Miss Lyra and Miss Pandora is calling me Aunty Missy" Missy squeaked with a smile, shaking her head.

Gienah tried to feed Ambrosia some of the tortellini but she wasn't having any of it. Gienah sighed and summoned the tinned baby food.

"Have you heard back from the ministry Bella?" Luna asked.

"No, not yet." Bellatrix sighed. "I've heard back from Honeydukes in Hogsmeade but I would really rather not."

Gienah chuckled.

"Have you hired a nanny for the girls?" Hermione asked.

"We urm- hired Winky" Gienah replied.

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we brought her." Gienah confessed.

"Winky was not doing well in Hogwarts Miss" Missy said. "I said she should work for my master and mistress, a smaller home more safe for Winky miss."

Hermione nodded.

"Is she around?" Hermione asked Missy.

"She is with Poppy miss, in the manor miss." Missy said.

"She is doing much better" Gienah said. "I don't think the house elves were very supportive in Hogwarts. Poppy is taking good care of her."

"It feels strange doesn't it." Hermione sighed. "You-know-who's back and we're have pasta in the cottage talking about nannies."

"I know what you mean" Luna said.

They finished their pasta and went out in the garden for dessert. Mira was crawling in the grass, pulling daisy's out and Gienah was feeding Ambrosia. Luna and Hermione spoke about their summers and Bellatrix returned to her book. The scorching sun was beating down on them, making Gienah feel whoozy. Missy made some homemade lemonade and iced tea. It was all too serene. Gienah felt she was trapped in a Steinbeck novel as she gazed at the rolling landscape.

Lupin returned to the cottage late that evening. Lupin knocked on the library door and Gienah called for him to come in.

"Gienah" Lupin said. "How are you?"

"Fine" Gienah said looking closely at him. "What's wrong?"

"I have to leave tonight Gienah" Lupin said unable to look her in the eye. "I'm going on a mission for the order."

"I thought you would" Gienah sighed. "Have you told Bella?"

"She understands but she's not happy" Lupin said. "I've asked Andromeda to stay here for the remainder of the holidays to keep her company. She and Ted will stay in Sirius's old room. Is that ok?"

"Of course, I think she's been lonely, especially with you away."

Lupin looked guilty.

"I'm not judging you dad." Gienah said, standing up so as to give him a hug. "Please take care of yourself."

"I promise" Lupin whispered.

The next day Gienah, Bellatrix, Hermione and Luna arrived at the Burrow with the three girls in tow. Mrs. Weasley was absolutely delighted and ushered them into the kitchen for tea and scones.

"Gienah!" Ron smiled. He had been lounging on the sofa reading a comic book. He came up to her and hugged her and then Hermione, who looked a little flushed after the contact, before settling his attention on Ambrosia. Gienah was impressed he was able to tell the girls apart.

In the kitchen they were surprised to see Fleur.

"Gienah" Fleur beamed, swooping down to kiss her cheeks. "You are looking radiant."

"What a surprise" Hermione said, looking at Ron pointedly.

"Urm, yeah Fleur and Bill are seeing each other." Ron said, with a cough, looking with sudden interest at the ceiling.

"Sirius introduced them" Gienah chuckled.

"Yes, yes" Mrs. Weasley said, placing mugs and cups around the table. "Do sit down dears."

"Where is Ginny?" Luna asked.

"Upstairs" Mrs. Weasley sighed. "See if you can call her down, I've had no luck with that girl".

Gienah looked at Hermione.

"How is it at Gringotts?" Gienah asked.

"Well!" Fleur said, her cheeks turning a little red. "Ze goblins are absolutely 'orreed! Zey treat me wiz leetle to no regard. Ze pay is good this is true but ill-mannered, all of zem".

"Now, now, it is their way." Bill entered from the back door. "Hello"

At that moment Ginny came down after Luna looking absolutely exhausted.

"Ambrosia" Ginny smiled, and reached for the little girl and hugged her close.

"Would you like a cup of tea dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"How are you?" Gienah asked Ginny quietly. "Why haven't you been answering our letters?"

"I've been busy.." Ginny said, avoiding her gaze.

"She's been locked up in that room or at the library most days" Ron said helpfully. Ginny scowled at him.

"I didn't realize I was being kept track of." Ginny said.

"You aren't acting normal Gin" Ron shrugged. "We're not going to ignore it."

"We?" Ginny said angrily.

"Yes, we" Hermione said tersely. "We care about you and it really is common courtesy-"

"Oh be quiet Mione." Ginny interrupted. "I really would rather skip the lecture."

Ron and Gienah looked at each other. Hermione thinned her lips and sipped her tea, turning towards Fleur.

"That was uncalled for." Gienah said to Ginny, pursing her lips.

"Excuse me." Ginny said.

"She's been like that all summer" Ron said.

" _She_ is right here." Ginny said loudly.

"Stop bickering you two." Mrs. Weasley said.

"She started it," Ron said.

"He started it," Ginny retorted.

Fleur sighed loudly.

"Have you something to say Phlegm?" Ginny said.

"Ginny" Bill warned her.

"You do not speak to guests in that manner young lady!" Mrs. Weasley said.

"She practically lives here!" Ginny said. "And you hate her as much as I do!"

"I do not hate her" Mrs. Weasley hissed.

"You do too." Ginny said. "You said so to dad that you'd never thought Bill would be taken in by a veela woman".

Mrs. Weasley went a remarkable shade of red.

"Apologize!" Bill said to Ginny.

"I didn't say it" Ginny laughed. "Make mother apologize."

"Ginny really" Gienah said. "Fleur has never done anything to deserve your inhospitality."

"Never mind what mum thinks of your pre-marital pregnancy." Ginny laughed putting on a frilly voice. " _Fifteen Arthur, fifteen! Her poor father! Mind you, he hasn't got the most pristine record either. Lily betraying James like that. On their honeymoon too. The scandal_!"

"That's just petty. I would say all those things and more." Gienah said coldly. "But phlegm? Really?"

"Ze girl is young" Fleur said, waving her hand. "She knows not what she is saying."

"The girl knows exactly what she's saying!" Mrs. Weasley said, putting her tea towel down on the table. "Grounded for the rest of the summer."

Ginny stood up, her cheeks as red as her hair and walked back to her room without a second glance.

"You were conceived during the Potter's honeymoon?" Luna asked after a pregnant pause.

Ron chuckled.

"Did she just manage to offend four people in the space of five minutes?" Gienah asked the table in disbelief.

"Ginny?" Fred had just entered, followed by George.

"Mrs. Weasley, Fleur, Hermione and Gienah." Ron listed off.

"Told you we should've come back earlier" George sighed.

"You shouldn't encourage her behaviour" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

After Gienah had finished her tea she excused herself and went to Ginny's bedroom. She knocked on her door. Ginny opened the door. Seeing Gienah she went back to her bed and picked her book up again. Gienah came in and closed the door behind her. Her desk was piled with books and newspapers.

"You're welcome to use our library." Gienah said, taking a seat in her chair. "Dad keeps the library well stocked."

"I don't need handouts."

"I am not your enemy." Gienah said lightly. "Nor would I advise you attempt to make me one."

Ginny sneered.

"This has to do with Voldemort doesn't it?" Gienah said, gesturing at the clippings on the wall and the dark arts books littered on her desk.

Ginny froze.

"I know you want him gone as much as I do" Gienah sighed. "But how does being a heinous bitch get you anywhere?"

"It doesn't" Ginny admitted.

"When you're angry, furious, and desperate to prove yourself, show everyone that you aren't weak, the best thing you can do is learn how best to fight your demons. Whether it be a dark lord or your OWL's."

"Is that what you're doing?"

Gienah nodded.

"I may not be of age but I'm preparing myself best as possible to bring that bastard down. After- after Cedric I felt so pathetic and there was so much anger I didn't know what to do with it. Doing something constructive with it helped save my sanity. I can't imagine how you dealt with it but I want you to know you'll do yourself a disservice to self destruct now. Pay him back in kind."

"Do you ever hate your mother?" Ginny asked.

"I am quite indifferent." Gienah replied honestly.

"But if she was alive now?" Ginny pressed her.

"I would want to know what she has to say." Gienah said.

Gienah managed to bring Ginny down for dinner and make her apologize to Hermione, Fleur and her mother. Fleur hugged her and Mrs. Weasley ignored her and Hermione sighed.

They returned to the cottage late that night. Gienah was about to turn to bed when Bellatrix called her back into the living room.

"There is something.. off about that girl" Bellatrix said. "I would be on my guard if I were you."

"Ginny?" Gienah said with a frown.

"It may be a false alarm." Bellatrix shrugged. "But I felt like I should warn you."

Gienah nodded. She slept uneasily that night.

 _Dear Ron,_

 _I know Ginny's been grounded but keep an eye on her for me will you? I think she's hiding something. I might be wrong but it wouldn't hurt._

 _Gienah_

The next evening after dinner Kreacher apparated into the kitchen. Gienah jumped and turned around with her wand pointing in the air.

Kreacher coughed.

Gienah looked down and sighed.

"It is common courtesy to apparate outside the house Kreacher" Gienah scolded him.

"Mistress Black was wanting to know when the next meeting is taking place." Kreacher said.

"Yes, well?"

"Now Mistress" Kreacher said.

Gienah cursed under her breath.

"Hermione!" Gienah called upstairs. "See to Rose for me, I'm popping out for an hour."

Gienah summoned her coat, held Kreacher's hand and was transported into the dark hallway.

"Gienah?" Tonks said in surprise.

"Kreacher!" Gienah folded her arms.

"Ha!" Tonks laughed. "Planning to eavesdrop a top secret society meeting?"

"Shhh" Gienah said, disillusioning herself.

Tonks shook her head and tripped over the troll leg. Tonks said a stream of colourful curses under her breath before walking into the kitchen. Gienah snuck in after her. Sirius, Alyssandra, Mad-Eye, Bill, Snape, Hestia Jones, Mr and Mrs. Weasley, and Mundungus Fletcher were seated around the long rectangular table.

"Ms. Black" Mad-Eye growled.

Gienah cursed. She'd forgotten about his magical eye.

"Gienah?" Sirius looked around.

Moody pointed his wand at her.

"What are you doing here girl?" Moody asked suspiciously.

"Gienah, we've been through this." Sirius said, smiling despite himself.

"POTTER!"

Harry took his invisibility cloak off beside her. He had a sheepish smile on his face.

"Out!" Mrs. Weasley said, standing up looking extremely red faced.

Harry folded his arms.

"No."

"This isn't a youth club Potter" Snape sneered. "We have business to discuss."

"I've faced Voldemort more times than half of you" Harry said, pulling a chair and sitting down. "I deserve to know what's going on."

"If he stays so do I" Gienah said, folding her arms.

"Sit down Gienah." Mr. Weasley sighed.

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley said rounding on her husband, her hands on her hip. "He's not a member of the Order, he's only fifteen and-"

"And he's dealt with as much as most in the Order,' said Sirius, 'and more than some.'

"No one's denying what he's done!' said Mrs Weasley, her voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. 'But he's still - '

"He's not a child!' said Sirius impatiently.

"He's not an adult either!' said Mrs Weasley, the colour rising in her cheeks. 'He's not James, Sirius!'

"I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly,' said Sirius coldly.

"I'm not sure you are!' said Mrs Weasley. 'Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back!'

'

"What's wrong with that?' said Harry.

'What's wrong, Harry, is that you are not your father, however much you might look like him!' said Mrs Weasley, her eyes still boring into Sirius. 'You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!'

"Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?" demanded Sirius, his voice rising.

"Personally,' said Arthur quietly, 'I think it better that Harry gets the facts - 'not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture - from us, rather than a garbled version from . . . others.'

'Well,' said Mrs Weasley, breathing deeply and looking around the table for support that did not come, 'well . . . I can see I' going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has Harry's best interests at heart -'

'He's not your son,' said Sirius quietly.

'He's as good as,' said Mrs Weasley fiercely. 'Who else has he got?'

'He's got me!'

'Yes,' said Mrs Weasley, her lip curling, 'the thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?'

Sirius started to rise from his chair. Gienah growled.

'Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry,' said Alyssandra sharply. 'Sirius, sit down.'

Mrs Weasley's lower lip was trembling. Sirius sank slowly back into his chair, his face white.

'I think Harry ought to be allowed a say in this,' Alyssandra continued, 'he's old enough to decide for himself.'

'I want to know what's been going on,' Harry said at once.

'Very well,' said Mrs Weasley, her voice cracking. 'Gienah, out.'

'If Harry's allowed why can't I?' Gienah bellowed. "I lost the father of my child to Voldemort. I fought him too!"

"Molly.." Arthur began.

Molly sat down, glaring around at the table.

"OK, Harry . . . what do you want to know?'

Harry took a deep breath.

'Where's Voldemort?' he said. 'What's he doing? I've been trying to watch the Muggle news, and there hasn't been anything that looks like him yet, no funny deaths or anything.'

"That's because there haven't been any funny deaths yet,' said Sirius, 'not as far as we know, anyway . . . and we know quite a let.'

'More than he thinks we do, anyway,' said Arthur.

'How come he's stopped killing people?' Harry asked.

'Because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself,' said Sirius. 'It would be dangerous for him. His comeback didn't come off quite the way he wanted it to, you see. He messed it up.'

'Or rather, you messed it up for him,' said Arthur, with a satisfied smile.

'How?' Harry asked, perplexed.

'You weren't supposed to survive!' said Sirius. 'Nobody apart from his Death Eaters was supposed to know he'd come back. But you survived to bear witness.'

'And the very last person he wanted alerted to his return the moment he got back was Dumbledore,' said Moody. 'And you made sure Dumbledore knew at once.'

'How has that helped?' Harry asked.

'Are you kidding?' said Bill incredulously. 'Dumbledore was the only one You-Know-Who was ever scared of!'

"Thanks to you, Dumbledore was able to recall the Order of the Phoenix about an hour after Voldemort returned,' said Sirius.

'So, what's the Order been doing?' said Gienah, looking around at them all.

'Working as hard as we can to make sure Voldemort can't carry out his plans,' said Sirius.

'How d'you know what his plans are?' Harry asked quickly.

'Dumbledore's got a shrewd idea,' growled Moody, 'and Dumbledore's shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate.'

'So what does Dumbledore reckon he's planning?'

'Well, firstly, he wants to build up his army again,' said Sirius. 'In the old days he had huge numbers at his command: witches and wizards he'd bullied or bewitched into following him, his faithful Death Eaters, a great variety of Dark creatures. You heard him planning to recruit the giants; well, they'll be just one of the groups he's after. He's certainly not going to try and take on the Ministry of Magic with only a dozen Death Eaters.'

'So you're trying to stop him getting more followers?'

'We're doing our best,' Alyssandra sighed.

'How?'

'Well, the main thing is to try and convince as many people as possible that You-Know-Who really has returned, to put them on their guard,' said Bill. 'It's proving tricky, though.'

'Why?'

'Because of the Ministry's attitude,' said Tonks. 'You saw Cornelius Fudge after You-Know-Who came back, Harry. Well, he hasn't shifted his position at all. He's absolutely refusing to believe it's happened.'

'But why?' said Harry desperately. 'Why's he being so stupid? If Dumbledore - '

'Ah, well, you've put your finger on the problem,' said Mr Weasley with a wry smile. 'Dumbledore.'

'Fudge is frightened of him, you see,' said Tonks sadly.

'Frightened of Dumbledore?' said Harry incredulously.

'Frightened of what he's up to,' said Mr Weasley. 'Fudge thinks Dumbledore's plotting to overthrow him. He thinks Dumbledore wants to be Minister for Magic.'

'But Dumbledore doesn't want - '

'Of course he doesn't,' said Mr Weasley. 'He's never wanted the Minister's job, even though a lot of people wanted him to take it when Millicent Bagnold retired. Fudge came to power instead, but he's never quite forgotten how much popular support Dumbledore had, even though Dumbledore never applied for the job.'

'Deep down, Fudge knows Dumbledore's much cleverer than he is, a much more powerful wizard, and in the early days of his Ministry he was forever asking Dumbledore for help and advice,' said Sirius. 'But it seems he's become fond of power, and much more confident. He loves being Minister for Magic and he's managed to convince himself that he's the clever one and Dumbledore's simply stirring up trouble for the sake of it.'

'How can he think that?' said Harry angrily. 'How can he think Dumbledore would just make it all up - that I'd make it all up?'

'Because accepting that Voldemort's back would mean trouble like the Ministry hasn't had to cope with for nearly fourteen years,' said Sirius bitterly. 'Fudge just can't bring himself to face it. It's so much more comfortable to convince himself Dumbledore's lying to destabilise him.'

'You see the problem,' said Moody. 'While the Ministry tells every muppet out there that there is nothing to fear from Voldemort it's hard to convince people he's back, especially as they really don't want to believe it in the first place. The Ministry's leaning heavily on the Daily Prophet not to report any of what they're calling Dumbledore's rumour-mongering, so most of the wizarding community are completely unaware anything's happened, and that makes them easy targets for the Death Eaters if they're using the Imperius Curse.'

'But you're telling people, aren't you?' said Harry, looking around at Mr Weasley, Sirius, Bill, Mundungus, Moody and Tonks. 'You're letting people know he's back?'

They all smiled humourlessly.

'Tonks and Arthur would lose their jobs at the Ministry if they started shooting their mouths off,' said Sirius, 'and it's very important for us to have spies inside the Ministry, because you can bet Voldemort will have them.'

'We've managed to convince a couple of people, though,' said Mr Weasley. Tonks here, for one - she's too young to have been in the Order of the Phoenix last time, and having Aurors on our side is a huge advantage - Kingsley Shacklebolt's been a real asset, too.'

'But if none of you are putting the news out that Voldemort's back - ' Harry began.

'Who said none of us are putting the news out?' said Sirius. 'Why d'you think Dumbledore's in such trouble?'

'What d'you mean?' Harry asked.

"They're trying to discredit him,' said Bill. 'Didn't you see the Daily Prophet last week? They reported that he'd been voted out of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards because he's getting old and losing his grip, but it's not true; he was voted out by Ministry wizards after he made a speech announcing Voldemort's return. They've demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot - that's the Wizard High Court - and they're talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too.'

'But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog Cards,' said Tonks, grinning.

'It's no laughing matter,' said Mr Weasley sharply. 'If he carries on defying the Ministry like this he could end up in Azkaban, and the last thing we want is to have Dumbledore locked up. While You-Know-Who knows Dumbledore's out there and wise to what he's up to he's going to go cautiously. If Dumbledore's out of the way - well, You-Know-Who will have a clear field.'

'But if Voldemort's trying to recruit more Death Eaters it's bound to get out that he's come back, isn't it?' asked Harry desperately.

'Voldemort doesn't march up to people's houses and bang on their front doors, Harry,' said Sirius. 'He tricks, jinxes and blackmails them. He's well-practised at operating in secret. In any case, gathering followers is only one thing he's interested in. He's got other plans too, plans he can put into operation very quietly indeed, and he's concentrating on those for the moment.'

'What's he after apart from followers?' Harry asked swiftly. He thought he saw Sirius and Moody exchange the most fleeting of looks before Sirius answered.

'Stuff he can only get by stealth.'

When Harry and Gienah continued to look puzzled, Sirius said, 'Like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time.'

'When he was powerful before?'

'Yes.'

'Like what kind of weapon?' said Harry. 'Something worse than the Avada Kedavra - ?'

"That's enough!' Mrs Weasley had her arms crossed and she looked furious.

She was trembling slightly as she looked at Sirius. 'You've given Harry plenty of information. Any more and you might just as well induct him into the Order straightaway.'

'Why not?' said Harry quickly. 'I'll join, I want to join, I want to fight.'

'No.'

It was not Mrs Weasley who spoke this time, but Arthur.

"The Order is comprised only of overage wizards,' he said. "There are dangers involved of which you can have no idea, any of you . . . I think Molly's right, Sirius. We've said enough.'

"Now, if you'll excuse us" Snape drawled.

Harry and Gienah reluctantly left the room.

"Well, that was useless." Gienah sighed. "I knew all of that."

"Not about the weapon." Harry said, sitting on the step. "I just feel so useless."

"Same" Gienah said.

"What do you reckon it is?" Harry asked.

"It could be anything, but it looks like the Order know and are protecting it." Gienah said thoughtfully.

"How-" Harry began.

"Didn't you see the papers on the desk?" Gienah asked. "Maps."

"That's why you were so quiet." Harry said.

Alyssandra came out of the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

"Gienah" Alyssandra sighed, and held her arms out for a hug. Gienah smiled, hugging the pregnant witch. "I've been meaning to reply. Why don't you come over tomorrow for lunch and then we can spend the afternoon practicing a few spells?"

"I would really appreciate it." Gienah nodded enthusiastically. "Is it ok for Hermione to join us?"

"Of course." Alyssandra said. "Harry you are welcome too."

"You left the meeting early?" Harry asked.

"Goodness, it gets such a bore. After the minutes I offer to make the teas." Alyssandra laughed. "Now you two, back to your homes."

Alyssandra called Kreacher and they were both escorted back to the cottage.

"Leave Harry here Kreacher." Gienah said. "We need to talk to Hermione."

Kreacher bowed.

Gienah knocked on the guest room.

"Come in!" Hermione called.

Hermione was reading a book with Ambrosia sleeping beside her on the bed. Gienah sat cross legged on the bed, Harry took the chair and they told her everything they found out.

"A weapon?" Hermione repeated, thinking hard. "Did you see what the map was of?"

"It certainly wasn't Hogwarts. No towers." Gienah said confidently.

"One thing we can be certain of" Hermione said. "Harry's life is in danger."

"When hasn't it" Harry snorted.

"What I want to know is why you-know-who never died the first time round." Hermione said. "You survived the killing curse but it rebounded onto him. Why didn't he die?"

"Harry, didn't you say something about him conquering death?" Gienah said suddenly.

"At the graveyard." Harry said. "I can't recall word for word.."

"The pensieve!" Gienah said excitedly. "There's one in the library. Dad brought it for my for my occlumency lessons with Snape. Missy!".

Missy appeared with a curtsey.

"Take Rose to her bed please." Gienah said, handing the sleeping baby to her.

The three of them went into the library. Gienah opened the cabinet between the windows with her wand and out emerged a stone basin with decorative detail etched into the stone. Gienah placed her wand near Harry's head. He closed his eyes and a silvery strand was drawn from his mind and placed into the swirling substance in the pensieve. Gienah saw Cedric's pale face swirling at the surface. Breathing deeply she lifted her wand arm.

"Gienah." Hermione whispered. "You don't have to."

"I know." Gienah said, wiping a lone tear from her cheek.

Each of them then placed their wands in the pensieve and were sucked into the memory. They were standing in a dark and overgrown graveyard; the black outline of a small church was visible beyond a large yew tree to their right. A hill rose above them to their left. Harry was tied on a gravestone. Voldemort was standing in front of him with a sick smile on his mouth. A ring of death eaters closed them in.

Gienah walked forward in awe.

"Inhuman" Hermione whispered.

Indeed he was. Voldemort was thin and whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snakes with slits for nostrils...His hands were like large, pale spiders; his long white fingers caressed his own chest, his arms, his face; the red eyes, whose pupils were slits, like a cat's, gleamed still more brightly through the darkness.

Then the Death Eater to the right of Wormtail stepped forward, and Lucius Malfoy's voice spoke from under the mask.

 _"Master, we crave to know...we beg you to tell us...how you have achieved this...this miracle...how you managed to return to us..."_

 _"Ah, what a story it is, Lucius," said Voldemort. "And it begins - and ends - with my young friend here."_

He walked lazily over to stand next to Harry, so that the eyes of the whole circle were upon the two of them. The snake continued to circle.

 _"You know, of course, that they have called this boy my downfall?" Voldemort said softly, his red eyes upon Harry, whose scar began to burn so fiercely that he almost screamed in agony. "You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill him. His mother died in the attempt to save him - and unwittingly provided him with a protection I admit I had not foreseen...I could not touch the boy."_

Voldemort raised one of his long white fingers and put it very close to Harry's cheek. The present Harry did an involuntary jolt.

 _"His mother left upon him the traces other sacrifice...This is old magic, I should have remembered it, I was foolish to overlook it...but no matter. I can touch him now."_

Voldemort laughed softly in Harry's ear, then took the finger away and continued addressing the Death Eaters.

 _"I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Aaah...pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost...but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know...I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one or more of my experiments had worked...for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it. Nevertheless, I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself...for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand..._

 _"I remember only forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second, to exist...I settled in a faraway place, in a forest, and I waited...Surely, one of my faithful Death Eaters would try and find me...one of them would come and perform the magic I could not, to restore me to a body..., but I waited in vain..."_

The shiver ran once more around the circle of listening Death Eaters. Voldemort let the silence spiral horribly before continuing. Hermione looked at the mutilated man in disgust.

 _"Only one power remained to me. I could possess the bodies of others. But I dared not go where other humans were plentiful, for I knew that the Aurors were still abroad and searching for me._

 _I sometimes inhabited animals - snakes, of course, being my preference - but I was little better off inside them than as pure spirit, for their bodies were ill adapted to perform magic...and my possession of them shortened their lives; none of them lasted long..._

 _"Then...four years ago...the means for my return seemed assured. A wizard - young, foolish, and gullible - wandered across my path in the forest I had made my home. Oh, he seemed the very chance I had been dreaming of...for he was a teacher at Dumbledore's school...he was easy to bend to my will...he brought me back to this country, and after a while, I took possession of his body, to supervise him closely as he carried out my orders. But my plan failed. I did not manage to steal the Sorcerer's Stone. I was not to be assured immortal life. I was thwarted...thwarted, once again, by Harry Potter..."_

Silence once more; nothing was stirring, not even the leaves on the yew tree. The Death Eaters were quite motionless, the glittering eyes in their masks fixed upon Voldemort, and upon Harry.

 _"The servant died when I left his body, and I was left as weak as ever I had been," Voldemort continued. "I returned to my hiding place far away, and I will not pretend to you that I didn't then fear that I might never regain my powers...Yes, that was perhaps my darkest hour...I could not hope that I would be sent another wizard to possess...and I had given up hope, now, that any of my Death Eaters cared what had become of me..."_

One or two of the masked wizards in the circle moved uncomfortably, but Voldemort took no notice.

 _"And then, not even a year ago, when I had almost abandoned hope, it happened at last...a servant returned to me. Wormtail here, who had faked his own death to escape justice, was driven out of hiding by those he had once counted friends, and decided to return to his master. He sought me in the country where it had long been rumored I was hiding...helped, of course, by the rats he met along the way. Wormtail has a curious affinity with rats, do you not, Wormtail? His filthy little friends told him there was a place, deep in an Albanian forest, that they avoided, where small animals like themselves had met their deaths by a dark shadow that possessed them..._

"Experiments. That's what he said." Hermione whispered. "It was his body that died but his soul remained."

"I've read about dark wizards meddling with souls." Gienah whispered back. "None survived."

"Obviously it has something to do with you as well." Hermione murmured, looking at the memory Harry. "He left a bit of him with you when he left you that scar. It's why you're a parselmouth. Why your scar hurts."

 _"Wormtail's body, of course, was ill adapted for possession, as all assumed him dead, and would attract far too much attention if noticed. However, he was the able-bodied servant I needed, and, poor wizard though he is, Wormtail was able to follow the instructions I gave him, which would return me to a rudimentary, weak body of my own, a body I would be able to inhabit while awaiting the essential ingredients for true rebirth...a spell or two of my own invention...a little help from my dear Nagini," Voldemort's red eyes fell upon the continually circling snake, "a potion concocted from unicorn blood, and the snake venom Nagini provided...I was soon returned to an almost human form, and strong enough to travel._

 _"There was no hope of stealing the Sorcerer's Stone anymore, for I knew that Dumbledore would have seen to it that it was destroyed. But I was willing to embrace mortal life again, before chasing immortality. I set my sights lower...I would settle for my old body back again, and my old strength._

 _"I knew that to achieve this - it is an old piece of Dark Magic, the potion that revived me tonight - I would need three powerful ingredients. Well, one of them was already at hand, was it not, Wormtail? Flesh given by a servant..._

 _"My father's bone, naturally, meant that we would have to come here, where he was buried. But the blood of a foe...Wormtail would have had me use any wizard, would you not, Wormtail? Any wizard who had hated me...as so many of them still do. But I knew the one I must use, if I was to rise again, more powerful than I had been when I had fallen. I wanted Harry Potters blood. I wanted the blood of the one who had stripped me of power thirteen years ago...for the lingering protection his mother once gave him would then reside in my veins too..._

"Then we duel" Harry said impatiently. "He boasts, wands connect, ghosts appear. The end."

Gienah and Hermione looked at eachother. They held their wands and returned to the library.

"Sorry you had to relive that Harry" said Hermione.

Harry was looking away from them.

"Is anyone in my bedroom?" Harry asked.

"No." Gienah said.

"Good night." Harry said, and left the two witches in the library.

Gienah lit the lamps and began browsing the shelves. Hermione sat down.

"I didn't know how badly it affected him." Hermione said.

"Sirius says he has nightmares most nights." Gienah said with a sigh. "And who can blame him?"

Gienah piled a few books in her arm before climbing down from the ladder.

"Merlin Gen" Hermione said flicking through the pages of one dusty volume. "These are darker than the stuff in the Restricted Section."

"Courtesy of the Black Family Library" Gienah said in a falsely cheery voice. "There's got to be something in here."

Hermione nodded and the two witches barely slept that night as they poured through the volumes. There were curses that made your toenails curl and could make one's hair stand on end. There was a manual on creating cursed objects and a guide to creating fiendfyre. There was one book which spoke in depth of the nature of the soul being immortal, untouched by death.

"Gienah!" Hermione said at two in the morning. She was reading Magick Moste Evile. "This book speaks of the ways in which wizards have attempted to extend their life. There's unicorn blood, the philosopher's stone and look-"

 _Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical invention, we shall not speak not give direction._

"That must be it." Hermione said. "There's nothing else. The Horcrux must somehow enable him to keep his soul present in this world."

"Except it's just a name" Gienah pointed out.

"Professor Snape must know." Hermione said confidently, you'll have to ask him in your next lesson.

Gienah nodded.

"We should sleep, we're going to the manor for lunch." Gienah said.

Hermione nodded and they bid each other goodnight.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _I'm in Bulgaria living with a small pack in the woodlands of Montana. Benjamin Figgs is with me. There has been death eaters visiting with gifts but the Alpha is biding his time. Dumbledore visited yesterday and told them Voldemort has no interest in werewolf rights, seeking to make use of them as pawns in his war. The Alpha does not agree with Greyback so I think he is coming around. Dumbledore has promised to speak to the Bulgarian minister to provide them with civil rights if they declare themselves neutral. Really, it's not too exciting. Me and Ben spend most of the time cooking and learning to speak Bulgarian. The pack is quite peaceful. Once we secure neutrality here we're going to Russia. The packs are larger and more vicious according to my new friend here._

 _I hope you are well,_

 _Remus_

Gienah woke up at noon the next day and hurried into the bathroom for a shower, changed into a dress and flooed over to the Black Manor in record time. Gienah, Harry, Missy and Hermione walked out of the travel room and followed Missy to the courtyard.

"Harry" Sirius was reading the newspaper, but put it down as they walked out into the sunlight. "In the future, please tell us before you go off gallivanting somewhere else for the night."

"It's my fault" Gienah said quickly, handing Ambrosia to her grandfather. "We wanted to have a look at the pensieve."

"Do I want to know?" Sirius sighed, though he was now smiling at his granddaughter. "Hermione love, do take a seat. How are you?"

"Good" Hermione blushed.

"I was surprised your parents allowed you to stay away the entire summer." Sirius said.

"Mum wasn't too pleased but dad understood." Hermione said.

Gienah helped herself to the spread in front of them, there were wraps and different salad fillings and sauces.

"I can't believe you cooked father" Gienah said. "This is delicious."

"Give me some credit" Sirius sulked. "I can make a salad."

"Poppy made the dressings and the flatbread." Alyssandra laughed.

"Where's Tonks?" Harry asked.

"Burrow." Sirius replied. "Taken Cassie with her."

"What?" Gienah said, looking suspiciously at Sirius.

"Nothing" Sirius said quickly.

Alyssandra groaned.

"What aren't you telling me?" Gienah said, narrowing her eyes.

"Tonks is going to kill me."

"She's pregnant" Harry said.

"Ha!" Sirius said. "It's Harry's fault, not mine, I am innocent!"

"You big baby" Alyssandra rolled her eyes.

"No way! Gienah said.

"Again?" Hermione said weakly. "I thought she was focusing on her career."

"You think she planned this?" Sirius laughed loudly. "If it wasn't for Poppy I'd be looking for Charlie's replacement."

"They've gone to tell Molly the news." Alyssandra said. "So they weren't accused of excluding her grandchildren."

"She's undergoing sterilization after this pregnancy." Sirius said. "I'd love to see Molly's face when they tell her."

"Father!" Gienah scolded Sirius.

Sirius was attempting to feed Ambrosia a piece of chicken.

"You can't deny your children meat!" Sirius whined.

"Just watch me" Gienah hissed, taking Ambrosia from Sirius. Ambrosia started crying.

Sirius laughed.

Gienah grumbled.

The summer passed a little quicker after Hermione came to stay over. They spent their days in the library and at the manor being taught healing by Alyssandra and Dark Arts lessons by Snape and August the first Althena Black was born. The newspapers gave no news regarding Voldemort's uprising but no longer did she feel like she was doing nothing and though still far from being prepared she felt she was on her way.


	40. Dumbledore's Army

Chapter Forty-Four: Dumbledore's Army

A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying on to the train. 'See you!' Gienah called out of the open window as the train began to move, while Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny waved beside him. The figures of Tonks, Sirius, Moody and Mr and Mrs Weasley shrank rapidly.

The train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past, and they swayed where they stood. Ambrosia was squealing in delight, her chubby fists clenching onto the window bars as Gienah held her tightly around her waist.

"Goodness me" Gienah said as she weaned Ambrosia off the window.

"You are truly Sirius's granddaughter" Harry said, taking her into his arms and nuzzling her nose. Ambrosia began babbling, holding her uncle's jaw with her little hands.

Ginny and Hermione felt their heart melt at the sight.

'Shall we go and find a compartment, then?' Harry asked.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.

'Er,' said Ron.

"They have their special prefect carriage" Gienah said to Harry. "They'll join us later."

Ron wasn't looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.

'Oh,' said Harry. 'Right. Fine.'

'It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather - but we have to - 'I mean, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not Percy,' Ron finished defiantly. Gienah and Hermione watched him with some amusement.

'I know you're not,' said Harry and he grinned.

Gienah, Harry and Ginny struggled off down the corridor, peering through the glass-panelled doors into the compartments they passed, which were already full. In the very last carriage they saw Neville, Luna and a new black haired girl who looked too old to be a first-year. Gienah slid the door open and pulled her trunk inside. Harry and Ginny followed.

Ginny was staring at the girl with a frown on her face. Gienah looked between Ginny and the new girl.

"Ginny?" Gienah said quietly.

Immediately Gienah changed her face to neutral and Gienah wondered if she had imagined it.

"This is Deyanira Rookwood." Luna said.

"You aren't a first year." Ginny accused her rather rudely.

"I'm a fourth year." Deyanira said, looking Ginny straight in the eye. "I grew up in an orphanage and never received my letter."

"How do you plan to catch up?" Ginny asked.

"I'm sure I'll manage." Deyanira shrugged. "Professor McGonagall has been tutoring me over the summer and I've been appointed a prefect to help me cover the first three years. Hermione Granger, do you know her?"

"She's a good friend of mine" Gienah smiled and offered her her hand. "You're in good hands."

"Pleased to meet you.." Deyanira smiled back, her blue eyes now looking less cold.

"Gienah Black" Gienah said. "This is my daughter Ambrosia, my brother Harry Potter and my friend Ginny Weasley."

Deyanira looked at Ambrosia for a second too long but she didn't say anything and continued to shake Harry and Ginny's hand.

"Are you all in fourth year too?" Deyanira asked.

"Fifth, but Ginny's in fourth." Harry said. "Hopefully you'll be in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw and these girls can take care of you."

Deyanira blushed when Harry winked at her.

Luna watched Deyanira over her upside-down magazine.

The train rattled onwards, speeding them out into open country. It was an odd, unsettled sort of day; one moment the carriage was full of sunlight and the next they were passing beneath ominous grey clouds.

'Guess what I got for my birthday?' said Neville.

'Another Remembrall?' said Harry.

'No,' said Neville. 'I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago . . . no, look at this . . .'

He dug the hand that was not keeping a firm grip on Trevor into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small grey cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.

'Mimbulus Mimbletonia,' he said proudly.

Gienah stared at the thing. It was pulsating slightly, giving it the rather sinister look of some diseased internal organ. Ambrosia however was leaning towards it.

'It's really, really rare,' said Neville, beaming. 'I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My Great Uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it.'

'Does it - er - do anything?' Harry asked.

'Loads of stuff!' said Neville proudly. 'It's got an amazing defensive mechanism. Here, hold Trevor for me . . .'

He dumped the toad into Harry's lap and took a quill from his school bag. Luna's popping eyes appeared over the top of her upside-down magazine again, to watch what Neville was doing. Neville held the Mimbulus Mimbletonia up to his eyes, his tongue between his teeth, chose his spot, and gave the plant a sharp prod with the tip of his quill.

Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant; thick, stinking, dark green jets of it. They hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered Luna Lovegood's magazine; Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat, Gienah shielded Ambrosia from the sudden attack, but Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing Trevor's escape, received a faceful. It smelled like rancid manure.

Ambrosia clapped her hands and did a full bellied laugh at the sight of his uncle. Neville, whose face and torso were also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes.

And at that precise moment the door of their compartment slid open.

"Oh . . . hello, Harry,' said a nervous voice. 'Urm . . . bad time?'

Harry wiped the lenses of his glasses with his Trevor-free hand. A very pretty girl with long, shiny black hair was standing in the doorway smiling at him: Cho Chang, the Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

'Oh . . . hi,' said Harry blankly.

'Um . . .' said Cho. 'Well . . . just thought I'd say hello . . . bye then.'

Rather pink in the face, she closed the door and departed. Harry slumped back in his seat and groaned. Luna and GIenah exchanged meaningful looks but decided to hold off the conversation for later.

'Never mind,' said Gienah bracingly. 'Look, we can easily get rid of all this.' She pulled out her wand. 'Scourgify!'

The Stinksap vanished.

'Sorry.' said Neville again, in a small voice.

"Who was that?" Deyanira asked Luna.

"Cho Chang" Luna said with a misty smile. "Ravenclaw seeker in Harry's year."

"She's pretty" Deyanira said a little glumly.

Harry blushed.

"Harry thinks so too" Luna said.

Harry coughed and then glared at Luna. Luna returned to her magazine.

"Are you interested in quidditch?" Gienah asked.

Deyanira nodded enthusiastically.

"Professor McGonagall took me to a match in the summer. I would love my own broomstick. I get a small allowance from the school-" Deyanira blushed a little and said this quietly. "But when I have enough the first thing I'll get is a broomstick."

"I have an old Cleansweep Seven." Harry said kindly, knowing how it felt to live on hand-me-downs. "It's yours if you want it. It's gathering dust in our shed at the moment."

Deyanira's jaw dropped.

"I think that's a yes" Gienah chuckled. "I'm the Gryffindor seeker and these two are on the Reserve team. You should try out. We're missing a keeper since our captain left us in third year."

"What happened last year?" Deyanira asked.

"We hosted the Triwizard Tournament." Gienah smiled and the next hour they filled Deyanira in on the series of unfortunate events since first year. Deyanira was an excellent audience member. She oohed and aahed in the right places. By the time Ron and Hermione showed up the food trolley had already gone by. Harry, Ginny and Neville had finished their pumpkin pasties and were busy swapping Chocolate Frog Cards when the compartment door slid open and they walked in, accompanied by Crookshanks and a shrilly hooting Pigwidgeon in his cage.

'I'm starving,' said Ron, stowing Pigwidgeon next to Hedwig, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and throwing himself into the seat next to him. He ripped open the wrapper, bit off the frog's head and leaned back with his eyes closed as though he had had a very exhausting morning.

'Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each house,' said Hermione, looking thoroughly disgruntled as she took her seat. 'Boy and girl from each.'

'And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?' said Ron, still with his eyes closed.

'Not Malfoy?,' Gienah whined.

'Course,' said Ron bitterly, stuffing the rest of the Frog into his mouth and taking another.

'And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson,' said Hermione viciously. 'How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll . . .

Gienah was about to introduce Deyanira when the compartment door opened for the third time. Gienah looked around; she had expected this, but that did not make the sight of Draco Malfoy smirking at her from between his cronies Crabbe and Goyle any more enjoyable.

'What?' Gienah said aggressively, before Malfoy could open his mouth.

'Manners, Black, or I'll have to give you a detention,' drawled Malfoy, whose sleek blond hair and pointed chin were just like his father's.

Ambrosia began gurgling and clapping her hands when she saw Malfoy. Gienah smirked. Ambrosia had taken a liking for the blonde wizard over the summer holiday and she suspected Draco liked her too. Malfoy however ignored her. Gienah rolled her eyes at him.

'Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?' he asked.

'Shut up, Malfoy,' said Hermione sharply.

'I seem to have touched a nerve,' said Malfoy, smirking. 'Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line.'

'Get out!' said Hermione, standing up.

Sniggering, Malfoy gave Harry a last malicious look and departed, with Crabbe and Goyle lumbering along in his wake.

'Chuck us another Frog,' said Ron.

The weather remained undecided as they travelled further and farther north. Rain spattered the windows in a half-hearted way, then the sun put in a feeble appearance before clouds drifted over it once more. When darkness fell and lamps came on inside the carriages, Luna rolled up The Quibbler, put it carefully away in her bag and took to staring at everyone in the compartment instead. All the while Ambrosia fell fast asleep on Hermione's lap.

At last, the train began to slow down and they heard the usual racket up and down it as everybody scrambled to get their luggage and pets assembled, ready to get on. As Ron and Hermione were supposed to supervise all this, they disappeared from the carriage again, leaving Gienah and the others to look after Crookshanks and Pigwidgeon. Shielding Ambrosia from the rain, Gienah conjured an umbrella as they got into one of the carriages and at long last arrived at Hogwarts.

The Entrance Hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with footsteps as the students crossed the flagged stone floor for the double doors to the right, leading to the Great Hall and the start-of-term feast.

'Who's that?' Hermione said sharply, pointing towards the middle of the staff table as they took their seats.

Gienah's eyes followed hers. They lit first upon Professor Dumbledore, sitting in his high-backed golden chair at the centre of the long staff table, wearing deep-purple robes scattered with silvery stars and a matching hat. Dumbledore's head was inclined towards the woman sitting next to him, who was talking into his ear. She was squat, with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes.

A long line of scared-looking first-years entered, led by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizards hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim. At the back stood Deyanira.

The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst into song:

In times of old when I was new

And Hogwarts barely started

The founders of our noble school

Thought never to be parted:

United by a common goal,

They had the selfsame yearning,

To make the world's best magic school

And pass along their learning.

'Together we will build and teach!'

The four good friends decided

And never did they dream that they

Might some day be divided,

For were there such friends anywhere

As Slytherin and Gryffindor?

Unless it was the second pair

Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?

So how could it have gone so wrong?

How could such friendships fail?

Why, I was there and so can tell

The whole sad, sorry tale.

Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those

Whose ancestry is purest.'

Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those whose

Intelligence is surest.'

Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach all those

With brave deeds to their name,'

Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot,

And treat them just the same.'

These differences caused little strife

When first they came to light,

For each of the four founders had

A house in which they might

Take only those they wanted, so,

For instance, Slytherin

Took only pure-blood wizards

Of great cunning, just like him,

And only those of sharpest mind

Were taught by Ravenclaw

While the bravest and the boldest

Went to daring Gryffindor.

Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,

And taught them all she knew,

Thus the houses and their founders

Retained friendships firm and true.

So Hogwarts worked in harmony

For several happy years,

But then discord crept among us

Feeding on our faults and fears.

The houses that, like pillars four,

Had once held up our school,

Now turned upon each other and,

Divided, sought to rule.

And for a while it seemed the school

Must meet an early end,

What with duelling and with fighting

And the clash of friend on friend

And at last there came a morning

When old Slytherin departed

And though the fighting then died out

He left us quite downhearted.

And never since the founders four

Were whittled down to three

Have the houses been united

As they once were meant to be.

And now the Sorting Hat is here

And you all know the score:

I sort you into houses

Because that is what I'm for,

But this year I'll go further,

Listen closely to my song:

Though condemned I am to split you

Still I worry that it's wrong,

Though I must fulfil my duty

And must quarter every year

Still I wonder whether Sorting

May not bring the end I fear.

Oh, know the perils, read the signs,

The warning history shows,

For our Hogwarts is in danger

From external, deadly foes

And we must unite inside her

Or we'll crumble from within

I have told you, I have warned you . . .

Let the Sorting now begin.

The Hat became motionless once more; applause broke out, though it was punctured, for the first time in Gienah's memory, with muttering and whispers.

'I wonder if it's ever given warnings before?' said Hermione, sounding slightly anxious.

But Professor McGonagall, who was waiting to read out the list of first-years' names, was giving the whispering students the sort of look that scorches.

'Abercrombie, Euan.'

The terrified-looking boy stumbled forwards and put the Hat on his head; it was only prevented from falling right down to his shoulders by his very prominent ears. The Hat considered for a moment, then the rip near the brim opened again and shouted:

'Gryffindor!'

Slowly, the long line of first-years thinned. In the pauses between the names and the Sorting Hat's decisions, Gienah could hear Ron's stomach rumbling loudly.

"Rookwood, Deyanira"

Deyanira went up and sat nervously on the stool.

"Gryffindor!"

Gienah and Hermione clapped enthusiastically. Deyanira came and sat near Hermione. Ginny, who was sitting opposite her looked at her closely.

'To our newcomers,' said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, 'welcome! To our old hands - welcome back! There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. Tuck in!'

As usual the food had appeared out of nowhere. The five long tables were groaning under joints and pies and dishes of vegetables, bread and sauces and flagons of pumpkin juice.

'Excellent,' said Ron, with a kind of groan of longing, and he seized the nearest plate of chops and began piling them on to his plate, watched wistfully by Nearly Headless Nick.

When all the students had finished eating and the noise level in the Hall was starting to creep upwards again, Dumbledore got to his feet once more. Talking ceased immediately as all turned to face the Headmaster. Gienah was feeling pleasantly drowsy now.

'Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices,' said Dumbledore. 'First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students - and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too.'

'We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.'

Dumbledore continued, 'Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will take place on the - '

He broke off, looking enquiringly at Professor Umbridge. As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge cleared her throat, 'Hem, hem,' and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.

"Thank you, Headmaster,' Professor Umbridge simpered, 'for those kind words of welcome.'

Her voice was high-pitched, breathy and little-girlish and Gienah felt a powerful rush of dislike that she could not explain to herself

'Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!' She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. 'I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!'

Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again ('hem, hem'), but when she continued, some of the breathiness had vanished from her voice. She sounded much more businesslike and now her words had a dull learned-by-heart sound to them.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them for ever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching.'

Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back to her. Professor McGonagall's dark eyebrows had contracted so that she looked positively hawklike, and Gienah distinctly saw her exchange a significant glance with Professor Sprout as Umbridge gave another little 'hem, hem' and went on with her speech.

'Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation . . .'

Professor Umbridge did not seem to notice the restlessness of her audience.

'. . . because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgement. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited.'

She sat down. Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though Gienah noticed that several of them brought their hands together only once or twice before stopping. A few students joined in, but most had been taken unawares by the end of the speech, not having listened to more than a few words of it, and before they could start applauding properly, Dumbledore had stood up again.

Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating,' he said, bowing to her. 'Now, as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held . . .'

'Yes, it certainly was illuminating,' said Hermione in a low voice.

'You're not telling me you enjoyed it?' Ron said quietly, turning a glazed face towards Hermione. That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with Percy.'

'I said illuminating, not enjoyable,' said Hermione. 'It explained a lot.'

'Did it?' said Harry in surprise. 'Sounded like a load of waffle to me.'

"There was some important stuff hidden in the waffle,' said Gienah grimly.

'Was there?' said Ron blankly.

'How about: "progress for progress's sake must be discouraged"? How about: "pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited"?'

'Well, what does that mean?' said Ron impatiently.

'I'll tell you what it means,' said Hermione through gritted teeth. 'It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts.'

With a whoosh and a clatter, hundreds of owls came soaring in through the upper windows. They descended all over the Hall, bringing letters and packages to their owners and showering the breakfasters with droplets of water; it was clearly raining hard outside. Hermes was nowhere to be seen. Hermione, however, had to move her orange juice aside quickly to make way for a large damp barn owl bearing a sodden Daily Prophet in its beak.

Professor McGonagall was now moving along the table handing out timetables.

'Look at today!' groaned Ron. 'History of Magic, double Potions, muggle studies and double Defence Against the Dark Arts . . . Binns, Snape and that Umbridge woman all in one day! I wish Fred and George'd hurry up and get those Skiving Snackboxes sorted . . ."

Today, they suffered an hour and a half's droning on the subject of giant wars. Gienah heard just enough within the first ten minutes to appreciate dimly that in another teacher's hands this subject might have been mildly interesting, but then her brain disengaged, and she spent the remaining hour and twenty minutes reading the books she'd brought knowing in advance just how unhelpful listening to Binns would be.

They headed out of doors for their break yawning. A fine misty drizzle was falling, so that the people standing in huddles around the edges of the yard looked blurred at the edges. Gienah, Harry, Ron and Hermione chose a secluded corner under a heavily dripping balcony, turning up the collars of their robes against the chilly September air and talking about what Snape was likely to set them in the first lesson of the year.

Gienah saw Cho approach Harry and frowned slightly. Perhaps she was being a little prejudiced. So what if she had fancied Cedric. Most girls had fancied him. Gienah just didn't like how she seemed to be attracted to the popular boys. Ron was managing to annoy Cho and she left in a huff. Harry sighed and Gienah took his arm and smiled at her little brother while Ron and Hermione bickered.

"She likes you Harry" Gienah said with a sigh. "We've barely begun and she's sought you out twice. Why don't you ask her out?"

"Because last time I was rejected." Harry cringed at the memory.

"Because you left it too late and my stupid boyfriend was trying to make a point." Gienah said.

Harry didn't respond.

Gienah filed into the classroom behind Harry, Ron and Hermione and followed them to their usual table at the back, where she sat down beside Hermione.

'Settle down,' said Snape coldly, shutting the door behind him.

There was no real need for the call to order; the moment the class had heard the door close, quiet had fallen and all fidgeting stopped. Snape's mere presence was usually enough to ensure a class's silence.

'Before we begin today's lesson,' said Snape, sweeping over to his desk and staring around at them all, 'I think it appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an "Acceptable" in your OWL, or suffer my . . . displeasure.'

His gaze lingered this time on Neville, who gulped.

'After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me,' Snape went on. 'I take only the very best into my NEWT Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying goodbye.'

His eyes rested on Harry and his lip curled.

'But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell,' said Snape softly, 'so, whether or not you are intending to attempt NEWT, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high pass level I have come to expect from my OWL students.

'Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: if you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing.' On Gienah's left, Hermione sat up a little straighter, her expression one of utmost attention. The ingredients and method - ' Snape flicked his wand ' - are on the blackboard - (they appeared there) ' - you will find everything you need - ' he flicked his wand again ' - in the store cupboard - ' (the door of the said cupboard sprang open) ' - you have an hour and a half . . . start.'

The ingredients had to be added to the cauldron in precisely the right order and quantities; the mixture had to be stirred exactly the right number of times, firstly in clockwise, then in anti-clockwise directions; the heat of the flames on which it was simmering had to be lowered to exactly the right level for a specific number of minutes before the final ingredient was added.

'A light silver vapour should now be rising from your potion,' called Snape, with ten minutes left to go.

The surface of Gienah and Hermione's potion, was a shimmering mist of silver vapour, and as Snape swept by he looked down his hooked nose at it without comment, which meant he could find nothing to criticise. Gienah gave him a small smile. Of course Gienah had already brewed the potions for their year during the summer and had them graded by Snape. She mainly achieved E's so now she would attempt to get straight O's and perhaps move on to some trickier potions.

When they entered the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom they found Professor Umbridge already seated at the teachers desk, wearing the fluffy pink cardigan of the night before and the black velvet bow on top of her head. Gienah was again reminded forcibly of a large fly perched unwisely on top of an even larger toad. The class was quiet as it entered the room; Professor Umbridge was, as yet, an unknown quantity and nobody knew how strict a disciplinarian she was likely to be. GIenah suspected she was as bad as it could get.

'Well, good afternoon!' she said, when finally the whole class had sat down.

A few people mumbled 'good afternoon' in reply.

'Tut, tut,' said Professor Umbridge. 'That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply "Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge". One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!'

'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge,' they chanted back at her.

"There, now,' said Professor Umbridge sweetly. That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please.'

Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks; the order 'wands away' had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting. Professor Umbridge tapped the blackboard sharply; words appeared on the board at once:

Defence Against the Dark Arts: A Return to Basic Principles

'Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?' stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your OWL year."

'You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centred, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please.'

She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by the 'Course Aims'.

1\. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.

2\. Learning to recognise situations in which defensive magic can legally be used

3\. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.

For a couple of minutes the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three course aims she asked, 'Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?'

There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class.

'I think we'll try that again,' said Professor Umbridge. 'When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, "Yes, Professor Umbridge", or "No, Professor Umbridge'. So: has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?'

'Yes, Professor Umbridge,' rang through the room.

'Good,' said Professor Umbridge. I should like you to turn to page five and read "Chapter One, Basics for Beginners". There will be no need to talk.'

Professor Umbridge left the blackboard and settled herself in the chair behind the teacher's desk, observing them all closely with those pouchy toad's eyes. Gienah turned to page five of his copy of Defensive Magical Theory and started to read.

A few minutes into the class Gienah gave up and closed the book with distaste. Hermione had not even opened her copy of Defensive Magical Theory. She was staring fixedly at Professor Umbridge with her hand in the air.

After several more minutes had passed, however, Gienah was not the only one watching Hermione. The chapter they had been instructed to read was so tedious that more and more people were choosing to watch Hermione's mute attempt to catch Professor Umbridge's eye rather than struggle on with 'Basics for Beginners'. When more than half the class were staring at Hermione rather than at their books, Professor Umbridge seemed to decide that she could ignore the situation no longer.

'Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?' she asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her.

'Not about the chapter, no,' said Hermione.

'Well, we're reading just now,' said Professor Umbridge, showing her small pointed teeth. 'If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class.'

'I've got a query about your course aims,' said Hermione. Gienah smirked.

Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows.

'And your name is?'

'Hermione Granger,' said Hermione.

'Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully' said Professor Umbridge in a voice of determined sweetness.

'Well, I don't,' said Hermione bluntly. There's nothing written up there about using defensive spells.'

There was a short silence in which many members of the class turned their heads to frown at the three course aims still written on the blackboard.

'Using defensive spells?' Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. 'Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?'

"We do not expect to be poisoned in class yet we are expected to learn the antidote in Potions are we not Professor Umbridge" Gienah said with her hand raised. "That is in the Ministry approved curriculum- Well, I certainly hope so. Otherwise I'd have very little faith in our medical faculties. Training must be tediously long."

"This is not potions...Miss?" Professor Umbridge, smiling still more widely.

"Black, professor." Gienah drawled. "But the point stands. Your answer is inadequate."

Professor Umbridge's pouchy eyes lingered on Gienah for a moment before she addressed Hermione.

'Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?'

'Yes,' said Hermione. 'Surely the whole point of Defence Against the Dark Arts is to practise defensive spells?'

'Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?' asked Professor Umbridge, in her falsely sweet voice.

'No, but - '

'Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the "whole point" of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new programme of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way - '

'What use is that?' said Harry loudly. 'If we're going to be attacked, it won't be in a - '

'Hand, Mr Potter!' sang Professor Umbridge.

Harry thrust his fist in the air. Again, Professor Umbridge promptly turned away from him, but now several other people had their hands up, too.

'And your name is?' Professor Umbridge said to Dean.

'Dean Thomas.'

'Well, Mr Thomas?'

'Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?' said Dean. 'If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk free.'

'I repeat,' said Professor Umbridge, smiling in a very irritating fashion at Dean, 'do you expect to be attacked during my classes?'

Gienah laughed loudly.

'I do not wish to criticise the way things have been run in this school,' she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, 'but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed - not to mention,' she gave a nasty little laugh, 'extremely dangerous creatures.'

'If you mean Professor Ambrogio,' piped up Dean angrily, 'he was the best we ever -

'Hand, Mr Thomas! As I was saying - you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day - '

'No we haven't,' Hermione said, 'we just - '

'Your hand is not up, Miss Granger!'

Hermione put up her hand. Professor Umbridge turned away from her.

'It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you.'

'Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?' said Dean hotly. 'Mind you, we still learned loads.'

'Your hand is not up, Mr Thomas!' trilled Professor Umbridge. 'Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?' she added, staring at Parvati, whose hand had just shot up.

'Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL? Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the counter-curses and things?'

"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions,' said Professor Umbridge dismissively.

'Without ever practising them beforehand?' said Gienah incredulously.

'I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough - '

"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?' said Harry loudly, his fist in the air again.

Professor Umbridge looked up.

'This is school, Mr Potter, not the real world,' she said softly.

'So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting for us out there?'

'There is nothing waiting out there, Mr Potter.'

"You yourself referred to our last professor as a dangerous dark creature Professor" Gienah sighed. "You cannot be so ignorant to suppose this subject could be made redundant without risking the wizarding world!"

"What risk Ms. Black?"

'Hmm, let's think . . .' said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice. 'Maybe . . . Lord Voldemort?'

Ron gasped; Lavender Brown uttered a little scream; Neville slipped sideways off his stool. Professor Umbridge, however, did not flinch. She was staring at Harry with a grimly satisfied expression on her face.

'Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr Potter.'

The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Umbridge or Harry.

'Now, let me make a few things quite plain.'

Professor Umbridge stood up and leaned towards them, her stubby-fingered hands splayed on her desk.

'You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead - '

'He wasn't dead,' said Harry angrily, 'but yeah, he's returned!'

'Mr-Potter-you-have-already-lost-your-house-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself,' said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at him. 'As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie.'

'It is NOT a lie!' said Harry. 'I saw him, I fought him!'

'Detention, Mr Potter!' said Professor Umbridge triumphantly. Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock. My office. I repeat, this is a lie. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard. And now, you will kindly continue your reading. Page five, "Basics for Beginners".'

Professor Umbridge sat down behind her desk. Harry, however, stood up. Everyone was staring at him; Seamus looked half-scared, half-fascinated.

'Harry, no!' Hermione whispered in a warning voice, tugging at his sleeve, but Harry jerked his arm out of her reach.

'So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?' Harry asked, his voice shaking.

There was a collective intake of breath from the class, for none of them, apart from Gienah, Ron and Hermione, had ever heard Harry talk about what had happened on the night Cedric had died. They stared avidly from Harry to Professor Umbridge, who had raised her eyes and was staring at him without a trace of a fake smile on her face.

'Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident,' she said coldly.

Gienah stood up, her hair blazing.

"How dare you!" Gienah screamed.

"Detention Ms. Black. If you attack me you will not only be expelled but imprisoned for attacking a Ministry official."

"On the contrary I remain underage" Gienah said, forcing herself to calm down. "But expulsion is not a fate I would deal with myself so consider yourself fortunate."

"Was that a threat Ms. Black?" Professor Umbridge said, narrowing her eyes.

Gienah did not answer.

'It was murder,' said Harry. He could feel himself shaking. He had hardly spoken to anyone about this, least of all thirty eagerly listening classmates. 'Voldemort killed him and you know it.'

Professor Umbridge's face was quite blank. For a moment, Gienah thought she was going to scream at him. Then she said, in her softest, most sweetly girlish voice, 'Come here, Mr Potter, dear.'

Professor Umbridge pulled a small roll of pink parchment out of her handbag, stretched it out on the desk, dipped her quill into a bottle of ink and started scribbling, hunched over so that Harry could not see what she was writing.

"Take this to Professor McGonagall, dear,' said Professor Umbridge, holding out the note to him.

He took it from her without saying a word, turned on his heel and left the room, not even looking back at Gienah, slamming the classroom door shut behind him.

On Friday evening Gienah received Bellatrix, Mira and Maia in her living room. Missy had arranged a small spread of delightful baked goods from the kitchens. Gienah fed a little piece of cinnamon swirl to Ambrosia who tasted it with a look of great interest and proceeded to attempt another bite.

"How are you finding the new job?" Gienah asked.

"It feels good to have a routine." Bellatrix smiled. "Mafalda Hopkirk has promised to write me a reference if I continue the good work. It'd be nice to progress from a secretarial role."

"It's certainly a start Bella." Gienah said. "I'm actually rather proud of you. You've come a long way from Azkaban."

Bellatrix laughed.

"Life was more exciting then." Bellatrix confessed. "But I love my husband and my children , and that's enough. What about you Gienah?"

"What about me?" Gienah said.

"You're too young to become an old maid." Bellatrix said seriously.

"I - I still miss him Bella." Gienah said quietly.

"It's only natural darling" Bellatrix said. "I won't promise you that it'll ever go away. Especially him being Rosie's father, but you'll meet someone else and you won't feel so alone anymore."

Gienah nodded and she held Ambrosia a little tighter.

TRESPASS AT MINISTRY

Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31" August. Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watchwizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused to speak, in his own defence, was convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban.

On Sunday Ron received a letter from Percy congratulating him for his prefectship but also warning him against Harry's influence to his disdain. Percy mentioned an article that would be released the next day and a strange sense of foreboding gripped Gienah and she was not disappointed when they saw the front cover of the Daily Prophet in breakfast the next day.

MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM

DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED

FIRST EVER HIGH INQUISITOR

In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time," said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. "He is now responding to concerns, voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve of."

This is not the first time in recent weeks that the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, has used new laws to effect improvements at the wizarding school. As recently as 30th August, Educational Decree Number Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current Headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person.

"That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts," said Weasley last night. "Dumbledore couldn't find anyone so the Minister put in Umbridge, and of course, she's been an immediate success, totally revolutionising the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts."

It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalised with the passing of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, which creates the new position of Hogwarts High Inquisitor.

"This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the falling standards at Hogwarts," said Weasley. "The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post and we are delighted to say that she has accepted."

The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts.

"I feel much easier in my mind now that I know Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation," said Mr Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. "Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and are glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation."

Among those eccentric decisions are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the employment of vampire Ambrogio, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid and delusional ex-Auror, "Mad-Eye" Moody.

Rumours abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is no longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts.

"I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step towards ensuring that Hogwarts has a headmaster in whom we can all repose our confidence," said a Ministry insider last night.

Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts.

"Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge's office," said Madam Marchbanks. "This is a further, disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore." (For a full account of Madam Marchbanks's alleged links to subversive goblin groups, turn to page seventeen.)'

And so the inspections began and when they entered Professor Umbridge's lesson that morning she was humming and smiling to herself. Gienah wondered what it would be like to have a normal life without dark lords on the horizon and ministry hags in your classrooms.

'Wands away,' she instructed them all with a smile, and those people who had been hopeful enough to take them out, sadly returned them to their bags. 'As we finished Chapter One last lesson, I would like you all to turn to page nineteen today and commence "Chapter Two, Common Defensive Theories and their Derivation". There will be no need to talk.'

Still smiling her wide, self-satisfied smile, she sat down at her desk. The class gave an audible sigh as it turned, as one, to page nineteen. Gienah had spelled the cover of a book recommended by Sirius to look like the class textbook and was soon engrossed in the new reading itching to try out the hexes with Harry in their next break. Hermione however had extended her arm once again.

Professor Umbridge seemed to have worked out a strategy for just such an eventuality. Instead of trying to pretend she had not noticed Hermione she got to her feet and walked around the front row of desks until they were face to face, then she bent down and whispered, so that the rest of the class could not hear, 'What is it this time, Miss Granger?'

'I've already read Chapter Two,' said Hermione.

'Well then, proceed to Chapter Three.'

'I've read that too. I've read the whole book.'

Professor Umbridge blinked but recovered her poise almost instantly.

'Well, then, you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says about counter-jinxes in Chapter Fifteen.'

'He says that counter-jinxes are improperly named,' said Hermione promptly. 'He says "counter-jinx" is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make them sound more acceptable.'

Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows and Gienah knew she was impressed, against her will.

'But I disagree,' Hermione continued.

Professor Umbridge's eyebrows rose a little higher and her gaze became distinctly colder.

'You disagree?' she repeated.

'Yes, I do,' said Hermione, who, unlike Umbridge, was not whispering, but speaking in a clear, carrying voice that had by now attracted the attention of the rest of the class. 'Mr Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively.'

'Oh, you do, do you?' said Professor Umbridge, forgetting to whisper and straightening up. 'Well, I'm afraid it is Mr Slinkhard's opinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger.'

'But - ' Hermione began.

"That is enough,' said Professor Umbridge. She walked back to the front of the class and stood before them, all the jauntiness she had shown at the beginning of the lesson gone. 'Miss Granger, I am going to take five points from Gryffindor house.'

There was an outbreak of muttering at this.

'What for?' said Harry angrily.

'Don't you get involved!' Hermione whispered urgently to him.

'For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions,' said Professor Umbridge smoothly. 'I am here to teach you using a Ministry-approved method. Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more licence, but as none of them - with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects - would have passed a Ministry inspection - '

'Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher,' said Harry loudly, 'there was just that minor drawback of him having Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head.'

This pronouncement was followed by one of the loudest silences Harry had ever heard. Then -

'I think another week's detentions would do you some good, Mr Potter,' said Umbridge sleekly.

Gienah came in to the common room that evening with Ambrosia on her hip. Hermione was sitting with Deyanira doing their tutoring session. As Hermione finished her lesson on Transfiguration Gienah joined them.

"How are you settling in Deyanira?" Gienah smiled.

"It's - overwhelming but Hermione's a great tutor." Deyanira said. "It's much better than school. I hated maths and science. And the orphanage is positively medieval."

"I'm glad I escaped that fate" Gienah shuddered. "My mother planned to place me in one but my grandma saved me."

"Why?" Deyanira asked curiously.

"I wasn't planned… My parents had an affair you see, so I was supposed to be kept a secret." Gienah said. "But my father found out just in time and raised me up with his best friend and I've had two fathers ever since."

"I've always wished someone would whisk me away" Deyanira said dreamily.

"Well, now you only have to go back in the summer." Hermione said. "And you can always spend Christmas with us."

Gienah nodded.

"We have loads of space since one of my dad's moved out." Gienah said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You are welcome anytime."

To her surprise Deyanira hugged her.

"Thank you" Deyanira whispered.

"Whatever for?" Gienah laughed.

"You're being so nice to me and you don't really know me. Both of you" Deyanira sniffed. "Ever since I can remember I've missed being a part of a family. I've had dreams of belonging and here I have hope that it may actually happen."

"I'm glad" Hermione said. "I know exactly how you feel. Growing up a witch among muggles. An only child with parents who worked around the clock.. Hogwarts has become many people's home along the years. Just ask Harry."

Deyanira blushed.

"Oh, oh" Gienah said looking at Hermione. "It's another one."

"Another what?" Deyanira asked.

"Another girl who fancies her brother" Hermione laughed.

"Oh please Hermione, Gienah, you mustn't tell Harry."

"Mustn't tell Harry what?" Ron said, having just walked through the portrait hole with his broomstick in his hand. "You'll never guess what that hag's been doing to Harry."

"What?" Gienah said anxiously.

Gienah was furious when she saw what exactly Umbridge's detentions consisted of. Gienah dragged him to her living room and summoned Missy to retrieve a Murtlap solution for her.

'Here,' Gienah said, pushing a small bowl of yellow liquid towards him, 'soak your hand in that, it's a solution of strained and pickled Murtlap tentacles, it should help.'

Harry placed his bleeding, aching hand into the bowl.

'I still reckon you should complain about this,' said Ron in a low voice.

"No,' said Harry flatly.

'McGonagall would go nuts if she knew - '

'Yeah, she probably would,' said Harry dully. 'And how long do you reckon it'd take Umbridge to pass another decree saying anyone who complains about the High Inquisitor gets sacked immediately?'

Ron opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out and, after a moment, he closed it again, defeated.

'She's an awful woman,' said Hermione in a small voice. 'Awful. We've got to do something about her.'

'Poison?,' suggested Ron grimly.

'No . . . I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we're not going to learn any Defence from her at all,' said Hermione.

'Well, what can we do about that?' said Ron, yawning. "S too late, isn't it? She's got the job, she's here to stay. Fudge'll make sure of that.'

'Well,' said Hermione tentatively. 'You know, I was thinking today . . .' she shot a slightly nervous look at Harry and then plunged on, 'I was thinking that - maybe the time's come when we should just - just do it ourselves.'

'Do what ourselves?' said Harry suspiciously, still floating his hand in the essence of Murtlap tentacles.

'Well - learn Defence Against the Dark Arts ourselves, said Hermione.

'Come off it,' groaned Ron. 'You want us to do extra work? D'you realise Harry and I are behind on homework again and it's only the second week?'

'But this is much more important than homework!' said Hermione.

Harry and Ron goggled at her.

'I didn't think there was anything in the universe more important than homework!' said Ron.

'Don't be silly, of course there is,' said Hermione, 'It's about preparing ourselves, like Harry said in Umbridge's first lesson, for what's waiting for us out there. It's about making sure we really can defend ourselves. If we don't learn anything for a whole year - '

'We can't do much by ourselves,' said Ron in a defeated voice. 'I mean, all right, we can go and look jinxes up in the library and try and practise them, I suppose - '

'No, I agree, we've gone past the stage where we can just learn things out of books,' said Hermione. 'We need a teacher, a proper one, who can show us how to use the spells and correct us if we're going wrong.'

'If you're talking about Ambrogio . . .' Harry began.

'No, no, I'm not talking about Ambrogio,' said Hermione. 'The most we could see him is during Hogsmeade weekends and that's not nearly often enough.'

'Who, then?' said Harry, frowning at her.

Hermione heaved a very deep sigh and looked at Gienah in exasperation.

'Isn't it obvious?' Gienah said. "We're talking about you, Harry.'

There was a moment's silence. A light night breeze rattled the windowpanes behind Ron.

'About me what?' said Harry.

'I'm talking about you teaching us Defence Against the Dark Arts.' Gienah said.

Harry stared at her.

Then Ron said, 'That's an idea.'

Harry was grinning now, sure they were pulling his leg.

"But I'm not a teacher, why can't Gienah?" Harry said, looking at his sister.

"I have a baby incase you haven't realized." Gienah smiled. "You have a knack for the subject and it's fitting isn't it?"

"How d'you mean?"

"The boy who lived.. People are inspired by that kind of thing" Gienah said.

"You know what, I'm not sure I want someone this stupid teaching me," Ron said to Gienah, smirking slightly. He turned to Harry.

"Let's think," he said, pulling a face like Goyle concentrating. "Uh… first year - you saved the Sorcerer's Stone from You-Know-Who."

"But that was luck," said Harry, "it wasn't skill."

"Second year," Ron interrupted, "you killed the Basilisk and destroyed Riddle."

"Yeah, but if Fawkes hadn't turned up, I -"

"Last year," Ron said, almost shouting now, "you fought off You-Know-Who again-"

"Listen to me!" said Harry, almost angrily, because Ron and Hermione were both smirking now.

"Just listen to me, all right? It sounds great when you say it like that, but all that stuff was luck - I didn't know what I was doing half the time, I didn't plan any of it, I just did whatever I could think of, and I nearly always had help -"

Ron and Hermione were still smirking and Harry felt his temper rise; he wasn't even sure why he was feeling so angry.

"Don't sit there grinning like you know better than I do, I was there, wasn't I?" he said heatedly. "I know what went on, all right? And I didn't get through any of that because I was brilliant at Defense Against the Dark Arts, I got through it all because - because help came at the right time, or because I guessed right - but I just blundered through it all, I didn't have a clue what I was doing - STOP LAUGHING!"

The bowl of Murtlap essence fell to the floor and smashed. He became aware that he was on his feet, though he couldn't remember standing up. Ron and Hermione's smiles had vanished. Gienah calmly fixed the bowl.

"You don't know what it's like! You - neither of you - you've never had to face him, have you? You think it's just memorizing a bunch of spells and throwing them at him, like you're in class or something? The whole time you're sure you know there's nothing between you and dying except your own - your own brain or guts or whatever - like you can think straight when you know you're about a second from being murdered, or tortured, or watching your friends die - they've never taught us that in their classes, what it's like to deal with things like that - and you two sit there acting like I'm a clever little boy to be standing here, alive, like Diggory was stupid, like he messed up — you just don't get it, that could just as easily have been me, it would have been if Voldemort hadn't needed me -"

"Harry" Gienah warned.

"We weren't saying anything like that, mate," said Ron, looking aghast. "We weren't having a go at Diggory, we didn't - you've got the wrong end of the -" He looked helplessly at Hermione, whose face was stricken.

"Harry," Hermione said timidly, "don't you see? This… this is exactly why we need you… we need to know what it's r-really like… facing him… facing V-Voldemort."

It was the first time she had ever said Voldemort's name and it was this, more than anything else, that calmed Harry.

'Well . . . think about it,' said Hermione quietly. 'Please?'

Two weeks later there was little to report except that Ron had managed to secure position as keeper. Hermione approached Harry once again in Gienah's living room. Harry was bouncing Ambrosia on his lap.

'I was wondering,' Hermione said suddenly, 'whether you'd thought any more about Defence Against the Dark Arts, Harry.'

'Course I have,' said Harry grumpily, 'can't forget it, can we, with that hag teaching us - '

'I meant the idea we had - ' Ron cast her an alarmed, threatening kind of look. She frowned at him, '- Oh, all right, the idea I had, then - about you teaching us.'

'Well,' he said slowly, 'yeah, I - I've thought about it a bit.'

'And?' said Gienah eagerly.

'I dunno,' said Harry, playing for time. He looked up at Ron.

'I thought it was a good idea from the start,' said Ron, who seemed keener to join in this conversation now that he was sure Harry was not going to start shouting again.

Harry shifted uncomfortably and settled Ambrosia on his lap.

'You did listen to what I said about a load of it being luck, didn't you?'

'Yes, Harry,' said Hermione gently, 'but all the same, there's no point pretending that you're not good at Defence Against the Dark Arts, because you are. You were the only person last year except Gienah who could throw off the Imperius Curse completely, you can produce a Patronus, you can do all sorts of stuff that full-grown wizards can't, Viktor always said - '

Ron looked round at her so fast he appeared to crick his neck. Rubbing it, he said, 'Yeah? What did Vicky say?'

'Ho ho,' said Hermione in a bored voice. 'He said Harry knew how to do stuff even he didn't, and he was in the final year at Durmstrang.'

Ron was looking at Hermione suspiciously.

'Well, what do you think? Will you teach us?' Hermione said.

'Just you and Ron, yeah?'

'Well,' said Hermione, looking anxious again. 'Well . . . now, don't fly off the handle again, Harry, please . . . but I really think you ought to teach anyone who wants to learn. I mean, we're talking about defending ourselves against V-Voldemort. Oh, don't be pathetic, Ron. It doesn't seem fair if we don't offer the chance to other people.'

Harry considered this for a moment, then said, 'Yeah, but I doubt anyone except you two would want to be taught by me. I'm a nutter, remember?'

'Well, I think you might be surprised how many people would be interested in hearing what you've got to say,' said Hermione seriously.

"Your Unca Harry's going to be teacher Rosie!" Gienah said happily, lifting the witch up in the air.

Ambrosia gurgled happily.

"Well that settles it" smiled Hermione. "you know the first weekend in October is a Hogsmeade weekend? How would it be if we tell anyone who's interested to meet us in the village and we can talk it over?'

'Why do we have to do it outside school?' said Ron.

'Because,' said Hermione, returning to the diagram of the Chinese Chomping Cabbage she was copying, 'I don't think Umbridge would be very happy if she found out what we were up to.'

The Saturday following Gienah woke up feeling a horrible pang in her chest as she remembered her first date with Cedric two years ago this very same day. Gienah got dressed and went to look at Ambrosia sleeping in her cot and couldn't help the tears fall.

"Mistress Gienah" Missy said quietly. "You mustn't cry. Cedric died in love with you Miss, and is still loving his daughter."

Gienah nodded but continued to weep, she felt she was being crushed with the loneliness. Missy offered her a handkerchief and made her a cup of tea, joining Gienah on the bed and patting her on the shoulder.

"Ambrosia is here. Missy is here. Not lonely Mistress. You is loved by Master Sirius and Miss Alyssandra and Master Harry and Poppy and many many others. You is strong and beautiful witch mistress. Must not cry when there is so much love."

"And evil too" Gienah sniffed. "So much evil."

"But good always triumph Mistress." Missy smiled. "You should listen to the stories we is telling to Miss Rosie at bedtime!"

Gienah laughed and gave her a watery smile.

"Much better." Missy said. "I will bring Mistress breakfast in the living room before she is going to her lessons."

Gienah had her porridge in the living room with Missy and they spoke about her childhood and Missy's mother and how she had never known her father. Gienah was thankful for such considerate company and hugged the little house elf before she left for the day.

Following their Muggle Studies class they left for Hogsmeade. Gienah, Harry, Hermione and Ron walked down the main street past Zonko's Wizarding Joke Shop, where they were not surprised to see Fred, George and Lee Jordan, past the post office, from which owls issued at regular intervals, and turned up a side-street at the top of which stood a small inn. A battered wooden sign hung from a rusty bracket over the door, with a picture on it of a wild boar's severed head, leaking blood on to the white cloth around it. The sign creaked in the wind as they approached. All four of them hesitated outside the door.

'Well, come on,' said Hermione, slightly nervously. Harry led the way inside.

It was not at all like the Three Broomsticks, whose large bar gave an impression of gleaming warmth and cleanliness. The Hog's Head bar comprised one small, dingy and very dirty room that smelled strongly of something that might have been goats. The bay windows were so encrusted with grime that very little daylight could permeate the room, which was lit instead with the stubs of candles sitting on rough wooden tables. The floor seemed at first glance to be compressed earth, though as Gienah stepped on to it she realised that there was stone beneath what seemed to be the accumulated filth of centuries.

There was a man at the bar whose whole head was wrapped in dirty grey bandages, though he was still managing to gulp endless glasses of some smoking, fiery substance through a slit over his mouth; two figures shrouded in hoods sat at a table in one of the windows; Gienah might have thought them Dementors if they had not been talking in strong Yorkshire accents, and in a shadowy corner beside the fireplace sat a witch with a thick, black veil that fell to her toes. They could just see the tip of her nose because it caused the veil to protrude slightly.

Gienah walked up to the witch and put a hand to her hip.

"Dung?"

"Be quiet lass!" Dung's gravelly voice came from underneath.

"What are you doing here?" Gienah said. "Are you spying on Harry?"

"Just havin' a quiet drink to meself" Dung muttered. "Last I saw tha' was perfectly acceptable."

"Perfectly acceptable?" Gienah scoffed. "You wouldn't know what was good and decent if it danced naked in Dobby's tea cosy in front of you Mundungus Fletcher."

"Gienah!" Ron called.

"If I find out you been to no good Dung you'll be hearing from me" Gienah whispered. "Understood?".

"Loud and clear".

Gienah walked back to Harry, Ron and Hermione with a grim smile. The barman sidled towards them out of a back room. He was a grumpy-looking old man with a great deal of long grey hair and beard. He was tall and thin and looked vaguely familiar to Harry.

"What? he grunted.

'Four Butterbeers, please,' said Hermione.

The man reached beneath the counter and pulled up four very dusty, very dirty bottles, which he slammed on the bar.

'Six Sickles,' he said.

'I'll get them,' said Harry quickly, passing over the silver. The barman's eyes travelled over Harry, resting for a fraction of a second on his scar.

'You know what?' Ron murmured, looking over at the bar with enthusiasm. 'We could order anything we liked in here. I bet that bloke would sell us anything, he wouldn't care- '

'You - are - a - prefect,' snarled Hermione.

'So, who did you say is supposed to be meeting us?' Harry asked, wrenching open the rusty top of his Butterbeer and taking a swig.

'Just a couple of people,' Hermione repeated, checking her watch and looking anxiously towards the door. 'I told them to be here about now and I'm sure they all know where it is - oh, look, this might be them now.'

The door of the pub had opened. A thick band of dusty sunlight split the room in two for a moment and then vanished, blocked by the incoming rush of a crowd of people.

First came Neville with Dean and Lavender, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil with Cho and one of her usually-giggling girlfriends, then (on her own and looking so dreamy she might have walked in by accident) Luna Lovegood; then Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevey with Deyanira, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff girl with a long plait clown her back whose name Harry did not know; three Ravenclaw boys he was pretty sure were called Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner and Terry Boot, Ginny, closely followed by a tall skinny blond boy with an upturned nose whom Gienah recognised vaguely as being a member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team and, bringing up the rear, Fred and George Weasley with their friend Lee Jordan, all three of whom were carrying large paper bags crammed with Zonko's merchandise.

'A couple of people?' said Harry hoarsely to Hermione. 'A couple of people?'

'Yes, well, the idea seemed quite popular,' said Hermione happily. 'Ron, do you want to pull up some more chairs?'

The barman had frozen in the act of wiping out a glass with a rag so filthy it looked as though it had never been washed. Possibly, he had never seen his pub so full.

'Hi,' said Fred, reaching the bar first and counting his companions quickly, 'could we have . . . twenty-six Butterbeers, please?'

The barman glared at him for a moment, then, throwing down his rag irritably as though he had been interrupted in something very important, he started passing up dusty Butterbeers from under the bar.

'What have you been telling people?' Harry said in a low voice. 'What are they expecting?'

'I've told you, they just want to hear what you've got to say,' said Hermione soothingly; but Harry continued to look at her so furiously that she added quickly, 'you don't have to do anything yet, I'll speak to them first.'

'Hi, Harry' said Neville, beaming and taking a seat opposite him.

In twos and threes the new arrivals settled around Gienah, Harry, Ron and Hermione, some looking rather excited, others curious, Luna Lovegood gazing dreamily into space. When everybody had pulled up a chair, the chatter died out. Every eye was upon Harry.

'Er,' said Hermione, her voice slightly higher than usual out of nerves. 'Well - er - hi.'

The group focused its attention on her instead, though eyes continued to dart back regularly to Harry.

"Well . . . erm . . . well, you know why you're here. Erm . . . well, Harry here had the idea - I mean' (Harry had thrown her a sharp look) 'I had the idea - that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defence Against the Dark Arts - and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us - '(Hermione's voice became suddenly much stronger and more confident) ' - because nobody could call that Defence Against the Dark Arts - ' ('Hear, hear,' said Anthony Goldstein, and Hermione looked heartened) ' - Well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands.'

She paused, looked sideways at Harry and went on, 'And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just in theory but doing the real spells - '

'You want to pass your Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL too, though, I bet?' said Michael Corner, who was watching her closely.

'Of course I do,' said Hermione at once. 'But more than that, I want to be properly trained in defence because . . . because . . .' she took a great breath and finished, 'because Lord Voldemort is back.'

The reaction was immediate and predictable. Cho's friend shrieked and slopped Butterbeer down herself; Terry Boot gave a kind of involuntary twitch; Padma Patil shuddered, and Neville gave an odd yelp that he managed to turn into a cough. All of them, however, looked fixedly, even eagerly, at Harry.

"Well . . . that's the plan, anyway,' said Hermione. 'If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to -

'Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?' said the blond Hufflepuff player in a rather aggressive voice.

'Well, Dumbledore believes it - ' Hermione began.

'You mean, Dumbledore believes him,' said the blond boy, nodding at Harry.

'Who are you?' said Ron, rather rudely.

'Zacharias Smith,' said the boy, 'and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back.'

'Look,' said Hermione, intervening swiftly, 'that's really not what this meeting was supposed to be about - '

'It's OK, Hermione,' said Harry.

'What makes me say You-Know-Who's back?' he repeated, looking Zacharias straight in the face. 'I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn't believe him, you won't believe me, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone.'

The whole group seemed to have held its breath while Harry spoke. Harry had the impression that even the barman was listening. He was wiping the same glass with the filthy rag, making it steadily dirtier.

Zacharias said dismissively, 'All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know - '

Gienah hissed at him and Vanajakshi made an appearance.

'If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you,' Harry said. 'I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out.'

"So,' said Hermione, her voice very high-pitched again. 'So . . . like I was saying . . . if you want to learn some defence, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet and where we're going to meet-"

'Hang on,' said Angelina, 'we need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice.'

'I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone,' said Hermione, slightly impatiently, 'but you know, this is rather important, we're talking about learning to defend ourselves against V-Voldemort's

Death Eaters - '

'Well said!' barked Ernie Macmillan, who Harry had been expecting to speak long before this. 'Personally, I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, even with our OWLs coming up!'

'I, personally, am at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher on us at this critical period. Obviously, they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from using defensive spells - '

'We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in Defence Against the Dark Arts,' said Hermione, 'is that she's got some . . . some mad idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he'd mobilise us against the Ministry'

Nearly everybody looked stunned at this news;

"Well, once a week sounds cool,' said Lee Jordan.

'As long as - ' began Angelina.

'Yes, yes, we know about the Quidditch,' said Hermione in a tense voice. 'Well, the other thing to decide is where we're going to meet . . .'

This was rather more difficult; the whole group fell silent.

'Right, well, we'll try to find somewhere,' said Hermione. 'We'll send a message round to everybody when we've got a time and a place for the first meeting.'

She rummaged in her bag and produced parchment and a quill, then hesitated, rather as though she was steeling herself to say something.

'I - I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think,' she took a deep breath, 'that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge or anybody else what we're up to.'

Fred reached out for the parchment and cheerfully wrote his signature, but Harry noticed at once that several people looked less than happy at the prospect of putting their names on the list.

'Er . . .' said Zacharias slowly, not taking the parchment that George was trying to pass to him, 'well . . . I'm sure Ernie will tell me when the meeting is.'

But Ernie was looking rather hesitant about signing, too. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

'I - well, we are prefects,' Ernie burst out. 'And if this list was found . . . well, I mean to say . . . you said yourself, if Umbridge finds out - '

'You just said this group was the most important thing you'd do this year,' Harry reminded him.

'I - yes,' said Ernie, 'yes, I do believe that, it's just - '

'Ernie, do you really think I'd leave that list lying around?' said Hermione testily.

'No. No, of course not,' said Ernie, looking slightly less anxious. 'I - yes, of course I'll sign.'

Nobody raised objections after Ernie. There was an odd feeling in the group now. It was as though they had just signed some kind of contract.

'Well, time's ticking on,' said Fred briskly, getting to his feet. 'George, Lee and I have got items of a sensitive nature to purchase, we'll be seeing you all later.'

In twos and threes the rest of the group took their leave, too.

'Well, I think that went quite well,' said Hermione happily, as she, Gienah, Harry and Ron walked out of the Hog's Head into the bright sunlight a few moments later. Harry and Ron were clutching their bottles of Butterbeer.

"Did you see the way Cho was staring at Harry throughout the meeting?" Gienah said.

'What d'you mean?' said Harry quickly.

"It was a bit obvious Harry,' said Hermione, smiling slightly, 'she just couldn't keep her eyes off you, could she?'

"I don't know about her Harry." Gienah grumbled. "What do you think of Deyanira?"

But Harry was away with the fairies.

BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS

All student organisations, societies, teams, groups and clubs are henceforth disbanded.

An organisation, society, team, group or club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students. Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor

(Professor Umbridge). No student organisation, society, team, group or club may exist

without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor. Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an organisation, society, team, group or club that has not been approved by

the High Inquisitor will be expelled. The above is in accordance with Educational Decree

Number Twenty-four.

Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor

Gienah, Harry, Ron and Hermione had barely taken their seats when Neville, Dean, Fred, George and Ginny descended upon them.

'Did you see it?'

'D'you reckon she knows?'

'What are we going to do?'

They were all looking at Harry.

'We're going to do it anyway, of course,' he said quietly.

'Knew you'd say that,' said George, beaming and thumping Harry on the arm.

Dear Gienah,

I hear from a highly disgruntled source that you and Harry are leading an illegal defence group within Hogwarts. I am writing to say congratulations and assure you that you have my hearty consent. I would much rather you skived classes and organize illegal activities within Hogwarts than go around the school duelling with dark lord wannabes. Keep up the good work.

Deyanira Rookwood eh? Not the daughter of the death eater Augustus Rookwood. If she grew up in an orphanage it may be possible seeing his was arrested the same year of her birth. Of course, we have one ex-death eater in the house already. Who am I to deny the daughter of another? She is welcome to stay at the cottage for Christmas. Though we may be celebrating at the Manor instead.

I'm glad your occlumency lessons are going well. Everything is running smoothly at the safari. We're just about breaking even so thank Merlin I happen to be a wealthy heir and my wife's earning. Don't worry about Remus too much. He has to keep care he isn't being too social in Russia.

Give my love to Rosie.

Love,

Sirius

Their robes billowed and swirled around them as they splashed across the flooded vegetable patch to double Herbology where they could hardly hear what Professor Sprout was saying over the hammering of raindrops hard as hailstones on the greenhouse roof. The afternoon's Care of Magical Creatures lesson was to be relocated from the storm-swept grounds to a free classroom on the ground floor and, to their intense relief, Angelina had sought out her team at lunch to tell them that Quidditch practice was cancelled.

'Good,' said Harry quietly, when she told Ron, 'because we've found somewhere to have our first Defence meeting. Tonight, eight o'clock, seventh floor opposite that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls. Can you tell Katie and Alicia?'

She looked slightly taken aback but promised to tell the others. Together Gienah, Harry and Ron they had spent most of the day seeking out those people who had signed their names to the list in the Hog's Head and telling them where to meet that evening.

At half past seven Harry, Ron and Hermione left the Gryffindor common room, Gienah clutching a certain piece of aged parchment in her hand. Fifth-years were allowed to be out in the corridors until nine o'clock, but all four of them kept looking around nervously as they made their way along the seventh floor.

'Hold it,' Gienah warned, unfolding the piece of parchment at the top of the last staircase, tapping it with her wand and muttering, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

A map of Hogwarts appeared on the blank surface of the parchment. Tiny black moving dots, labelled with names, showed where various people were.

'Filch is on the second floor,' said Gienah, holding the map close to her eyes, 'and Mrs Norris is on the fourth.'

'And Umbridge?' said Hermione anxiously.

'In her office,' said Harry, pointing. 'OK, let's go.'

'Harry!' said Hermione sharply, as they wheeled around after their third walk past.

A highly polished door had appeared in the wall. Ron was staring at it, looking slightly wary. Harry reached out, seized the brass handle, pulled open the door and led the way into a spacious room lit with flickering torches like those that illuminated the dungeons eight floors below.

The walls were lined with wooden bookcases and instead of chairs the re were large silk cushions on the floor. A set of shelves at the far end of the room carried a range of instruments such as Sneakoscopes, Secrecy Sensors and a large, cracked Foe-Glass that Harry was sure had hung, the previous year, in the fake Moody's office.

These will be good when we're practising Stunning,' said Ron enthusiastically, prodding one of the cushions with his foot.

'And just look at these books!' said Hermione excitedly, running a finger along the spines of the large leather-bound tomes. 'A Compendium of Common Curses and their Counter-Actions . . . The Dark Arts Outsmarted . . . Self-Defensive Spellwork . . . wow . . .' Hermione's face was glowing, and Gienah saw that the presence of hundreds of books had finally convinced Hermione that what they were doing was right.

And without further ado she slid Jinxes for the Jinxed from its shelf, sank on to the nearest cushion and began to read.

There was a gentle knock on the door. Harry looked round. Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati and Dean had arrived.

By the time eight o'clock arrived, every cushion was occupied. Harry moved across to the door and turned the key protruding from the lock; it clicked in a satisfyingly loud way and everybody fell silent, looking at him. Hermione carefully marked her page of Jinxes for the Jinxed and set the book aside.

"We ought to have a name,' Gienah said brightly. 'It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?'

'Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?' said Angelina hopefully.

'Or the Ministry of Magic are Morons Group?' suggested Fred.

"The Defence Association?' said Cho. 'The DA for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?'

'Yeah, the DA's good,' said Ginny. 'Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army, because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?'

There was a good deal of appreciative murmuring and laughter at this.

'All in favour of the DA?' said Hermione bossily, kneeling up on her cushion to count. That's a majority - motion passed!'

She pinned the piece of parchment with all of their signatures on it on to the wall and wrote across the top in large letters: DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY

'Right,' said Harry, when she had sat down again, 'shall we get practising then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful - '

'OK,' said Harry, his mouth slightly drier than usual with all these eyes upon him, 'I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practise.'

Everybody got to their feet at once and divided up.

"Want to partner up?" Gienah said to Deyanira.

Deyanira nodded and smiled at her.

Gienah didn't attempt to disarm her and instead showed her the exact wand movement and the way in which to utter the incantation. By her seventh go she'd managed to make Gienah's wand move.

Chapter 44 contd:

As the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, drew nearer, their D.A. meetings were put on hold because Angelina insisted on almost daily practices. The fact that the Quidditch Cup had not been held for so long added considerably to the interest and excitement surrounding the forthcoming game; the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were taking a lively interest in the outcome, for they, of course, would be playing both teams over the coming year; and the Heads of House of the competing teams, though they attempted to disguise it under a decent pretence of sportsmanship, were determined to see their own side victorious.

Gienah was far too occupied with quidditch practice, homework and Ambrosia that she could forget about the outside world for a while and just be. She felt optimistic about Gryffindor's chances; they had, after all, never lost to Malfoy's team. Admittedly, Ron was still not performing to Wood's standard, but he was working extremely hard to improve. His greatest weakness was a tendency to lose confidence after he'd made a blunder; if he let in one goal he became flustered and was therefore likely to miss more.

On the other hand, Gienah had seen Ron make some truly spectacular saves when he was on form; during one memorable practice he had hung one-handed from his broom and kicked the Quaffle so hard away from the goal hoop that it soared the length of the pitch and through the center hoop at the other end; the rest of the team felt this save compared favorably with one made recently by Barry Ryan, the Irish International Keeper, against Poland's top Chaser, Ladislaw Zamojski. Even Fred had said that Ron might yet make him and George proud, and that they were seriously considering admitting he was related to them, something they assured him they had been trying to deny for four years.

October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces. The skies and the ceiling of the Great Hall turned a pale, pearly grey, the mountains around Hogwarts were snowcapped, and the temperature in the castle dropped so low that many students wore their thick protective dragon skin gloves in the corridors between lessons.

Dear Gienah,

Apologies for the silence in our correspondence. The healing programme is intense to say the least. I enjoy every moment of it. I miss Althena like mad, of course, but Sirius has been wonderful with her and Poppy has had no issues with taking care of her.

I wish you luck for the first match in the season.

Please be careful,

Love always,

Alyssandra

The morning of the match dawned bright and cold. The Great Hall was filling up fast when they arrived, the talk louder and the mood more exuberant than usual. As they passed the Slytherin table there was an upsurge of noise. Gienah looked round and saw that, in addition to the usual green and silver scarves and hats, every one of them was wearing a silver badge in the shape of what seemed to be a crown. For some reason many of them waved at Ron, laughing uproariously. Gienah tried to see what was written on the badges as she walked by, but she was too concerned to get Ron past their table quickly to linger long enough to read them. They received a rousing welcome at the Gryffindor table, where everyone was wearing red and gold, but far from raising Ron's spirits the cheers seemed to sap the last of his morale; he collapsed on to the nearest bench looking as though he were facing his final meal.

"I must've been mental to do this," he said in a croaky whisper. "Mental."

"Don't be thick," said Harry firmly, passing him a choice of cereals, "you're going to be fine. It's normal to be nervous."

"I'm rubbish," croaked Ron. "I'm lousy. I can't play to save my life. What was I thinking?"

"Get a grip," said Gienah sternly. "Look at that save you made with your foot the other day, even Fred and George said it was brilliant."

Ron turned a tortured face to Gienah.

"That was an accident," he whispered miserably. "I didn't mean to do it - I slipped off my broom when none of you were looking and when I was trying to get back on I kicked the Quaffle by accident."

"Well," said Gienah, recovering quickly from this unpleasant surprise, "a few more accidents like that and the game's in the bag, isn't it?"

The frosty grass crunched under their feet as they hurried down the sloping lawns towards the stadium. There was no wind at all and the sky was a uniform pearly white, which meant that visibility would be good without the drawback of direct sunlight in the eyes. Gienah pointed out these encouraging factors to Ron as they walked, but she was not sure that Ron was listening.

Angelina had changed already and was talking to the rest of the team when they entered. Gienah and Ron pulled on their robes (Ron attempted to do his up back-to-front for several minutes before Alicia took pity on him and went to help), then sat down to listen to the pre-match talk while the babble of voices outside grew steadily louder as the crowd came pouring out of the castle towards the pitch.

"Okay, I've only just found out the final line-up for Slytherin," said Angelina, consulting a piece of parchment. "Last year's Beaters, Derrick and Bole, have left, but it looks as though Montague's replaced them with the usual gorillas, rather than anyone who can fly particularly well. They're two blokes called Crabbe and goyle, I don't know much about them-"

"We do," said Gienah and Ron together.

They could hear hundreds of footsteps mounting the banked benches of the spectators' stands. Some people were singing, though Gienah could not make out the words. She was starting to feel nervous, but she knew her butterflies were as nothing compared to Ron's, who was clutching his stomach and staring straight ahead again, his jaw set and his complexion pale grey.

The team rose, shouldered their brooms and marched in single file out of the changing room and into the dazzling sunlight. A roar of sound greeted them in which Gienah could still hear singing, though it was muffled by the cheers and whistles. The Slytherin team was standing waiting for them. They, too, were wearing those silver crown shaped badges.

"Captains, shake hands," ordered the referee Madam Hooch, as Angelina and Montague reached each other. Harry could tell that Montague was trying to crush Angelina's fingers, though she did not wince.

"Mount your brooms…" Madam Hooch placed her whistle in her mouth and blew. The balls were released and the fourteen players shot upwards.

Out of the corner of her eye Gienah saw Ron streak off towards the goal hoops. Gienah zoomed higher, dodging a Bludger, and set off on a wide lap of the pitch, gazing around for a glint of gold; on the other side of the stadium, Draco Malfoy was doing exactly the same.

"And it's Johnson - Johnson with the Quaffle, what a player that girl is, I've been saying it for years but she still won't go out with me -"

"JORDAN!" yelled Professor McGonagall. "- just a fun fact, Professor, adds a bit of interest - and she's ducked Warrington, she's passed Montague, she's — ouch - been hit from behind by a Bludger from Crabbe… Montague catches the Quaffle, Montague heading back up the pitch and - nice Bludger there from George Weasley, that's a Bludger to the head for Montague, he drops the Quaffle, caught by Katie Bell, Katie Bell of Gryffindor reverse-passes to Alicia Spinnet and Spinnet's away -"

Lee Jordan's commentary rang through the stadium and Gienah listened as hard as she could through the wind whistling in her ears and the din of the crowd, all yelling and booing and singing.

"- dodges Warrington, avoids a Bludger - close call, Alicia - and the crowd are loving this, just listen to them, what's that they're singing?"

And as Lee paused to listen, the song rose loud and clear from the sea of green and silver in the Slytherin section of the stands: "Weasley cannot save a thing, He cannot block a single ring, That's why Slytherins all sing: Weasley is our King." "Weasley was born in a bin He always lets the Quaffle in Weasley will make sure we win Weasley is our King."

"—and Alicia passes back to Angelina!" Lee shouted, and as Gienah swerved, her insides boiling at what she had just heard, she knew Lee was trying to drown out the words of the song.

"Come on now, Angelina — looks like she's got just the Keeper to beat! - SHE SHOOTS - SHE - aaaah…"

Bletchley, the Slytherin Keeper, had saved the goal; he threw the Quaffle to Warrington who sped off with it, zig-zagging in between Alicia and Katie; the singing from below grew louder and louder as he drew nearer and nearer Ron.

"Weasley is our King, Weasley is our King, He always lets the Quaffle in Weasley is our King." Gienah could not help herself: abandoning her search for the Snitch, she wheeled around to watch Ron, a lone figure at the far end of the pitch, hovering before the three goal hoops while the massive Warrington pelted towards him.

"- and it's Warrington with the Quaffle, Warrington heading for goal, he's out of Bludger range with just the Keeper ahead -"

A great swell of song rose from the Slytherin stands below: "Weasley cannot save a thing, He cannot block a single ring…"

"- so it's the first test for new Gryffindor Keeper Weasley, brother of Beaters Fred and George, and a promising new talent on the team - come on, Ron!"

But the scream of delight came from the Slytherins' end: Ron had dived wildly, his arms wide, and the Quaffle had soared between them straight through Ron's central hoop.

"Slytherin score!" came Lee's voice amid the cheering and booing from the crowds below, "so that's ten-nil to Slytherin - bad luck, Ron."

The Slytherins sang even louder: "WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN, HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN…"

"- and Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell tanking up the pitch -" cried Lee valiantly, though the singing was now so deafening that he could hardly make himself heard above it. "WEASLEY WILL MAKE SURE WE WIN WEASLEY IS OUR KING…"

"GIENAH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" screamed Angelina, soaring past her to keep up with Katie. "GET GOING!"

Gienah realized she had been stationary in midair for over a minute, watching the progress of the match without sparing a thought for the whereabouts of the Snitch; horrified, she went into a dive and started circling the pitch again, staring around, trying to ignore the chorus now thundering through the stadium: "WEASLEY IS OUR KING, WEASLEY IS OUR KING…"

There was no sign of the Snitch anywhere she looked; Malfoy was still circling the stadium just as she was. They passed one another midway around the pitch, going in opposite directions, and Gienah heard Malfoy singing loudly: "WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN…"

"—and it's Warrington again," bellowed Lee, "who passes to Pucey, Pucey's off past Spinnet, come on now, Angelina, you can take him - turns out you can't - but nice Bludger from Fred Weasley, I mean, George Weasley, oh, who cares, one of them, anyway, and Warrington drops the Quaffle and Katie Bell — er - drops it, too - so that's Montague with the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Montague takes the Quaffle and he's off up the pitch, come on now, Gryffindor, block him!"

Gienah zoomed around the end of the stadium behind the Slytherin goal hoops, willing herself not to look at what was going on at Ron's end. As she sped past the Slytherin Keeper, he heard Bletchley singing along with the crowd below: "WEASLEY CANNOT SAVE A THING…"

"- and Pucey's dodged Alicia again and he's heading straight for goal, stop it, Ron!"

Gienah did not have to look to see what had happened: there was a terrible groan from the Gryffindor end, coupled with fresh screams and applause from the Slytherins. Looking down, Gienah saw the pug-faced Pansy Parkinson right at the front of the stands, her back to the pitch as she conducted the Slytherin supporters who were roaring: "THAT'S WHY SLYTHERINS ALL SING WEASLEY IS OUR KING."

But twenty-nil was nothing, there was still time for Gryffindor to catch up or catch the Snitch. A few goals and they would be in the lead as usual, Gienah assured herself, bobbing and weaving through the other players in pursuit of something shiny that turned out to be Montague's watchstrap.

But Ron let in two more goals. There was an edge of panic in Gienah's desire to find the Snitch now. If she could just get it soon and finish the game quickly.

"- and Katie Bell of Gryffindor dodges Pucey, ducks Montague, nice swerve, Katie, and she throws to Johnson, Angelina Johnson takes the Quaffle, she's past Warrington, she's heading for goal, come on now, Angelina - GRYFFINDOR SCORE! It's forty-ten, forty-ten to Slytherin and Pucey has the Quaffle"

Gienah could hear Luna's ludicrous lion hat roaring amidst the Gryffindor cheers and felt heartened; only thirty points in it, that was nothing, they could pull back easily.

Gienah ducked a Bludger that Crabbe had sent rocketing in her direction and resumed her frantic scouring of the pitch for the Snitch, keeping one eye on Malfoy in case he showed signs of having spotted it, but Malfoy, like her, was continuing to soar around the stadium, searching fruitlessly…

"— Pucey throws to Warrington, Warrington to Montague, Montague back to Pucey -Johnson intervenes, Johnson takes the Quaffle, Johnson to Bell, this looks good - I mean bad - Bells hit by a Bludger from Goyle of Slytherin and it's Pucey in possession"

"WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN, HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN" "WEASLEY WILL MAKE SURE WE WIN" But Gienah had seen it at last: the tiny fluttering Golden Snitch was hovering feet from the ground at the Slytherin end of the pitch.

She dived… In a matter of seconds, Malfoy was streaking out of the sky on Gienah's left, a green and silver blur lying flat on his broom… The Snitch skirted the foot of one of the goal hoops and scooted off towards the other side of the stands; its change of direction suited Malfoy, who was nearer; Gienah pulled her Firebolt around, she and Malfoy were now neck and neck…

Feet from the ground, Gienah lifted her right hand from her broom, stretching towards the Snitch… to her right, Malfoy's arm extended too, was reaching, groping… It was over in two breathless, desperate, windswept seconds -

Gienah's fingers closed around the tiny, struggling ball - Malfoy's fingernails scrabbled the back of her hand hopelessly - She pulled his broom upwards, holding the struggling ball in his hand and the Gryffindor spectators screamed their approval…

They were saved, it did not matter that Ron had let in those goals, nobody would remember as long as Gryffindor had won - WHAM. A Bludger hit Gienah squarely in the small of the back and she flew forward off her broom. Luckily she was only five or six feet above the ground, having dived so low to catch the Snitch, but she was winded all the same as she landed flat on her back on the frozen pitch.

She heard Madam Hooch's shrill whistle, an uproar in the stands compounded of catcalls, angry yells and jeering, a thud, then Angelinas frantic voice. "Are you all right?"

"Course I am," said Gienah grimly.

Madam Hooch was zooming towards one of the Slytherin players above her, though she could not see who it was from this angle.

"It was that thug Crabbe," said Angelina angrily, "he whacked the Bludger at you the moment he saw you'd got the Snitch - but we won, Gen, we won!"

Gienah heard a snort from behind him and turned around, still holding the Snitch tightly in her hand: Draco Malfoy had landed close by.

White-faced with fury, he was still managing to sneer. "Saved Weasley's neck, haven't you?" he said to Gienah. "I've never seen a worse Keeper… but then he was born in a bin… did you like my lyrics, Potter?"

Gienah didn't answer. She turned away to meet the rest of the team who were now landing one by one, yelling and punching the air in triumph; all except Ron, who had dismounted from his broom over by the goalposts and seemed to be making his way slowly back to the changing rooms alone.

"We wanted to write another couple of verses!" Malfoy called, as Katie and Alicia hugged Gienah. "But we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly - we wanted to sing about his mother, see-"

"Talk about sour grapes," said Angelina, casting Malfoy a disgusted look. "- we couldn't fit in useless loser either - for his father, you know -"

Fred and George had realized what Malfoy was talking about. Halfway through shaking Gienah's hand, they stiffened, looking round at Malfoy.

"Leave it!" said Angelina at once, taking Fred by the arm. "Leave it, Fred, let him yell, he's just sore he lost, the jumped-up little -"

"- but you like the Weasleys, don't you, Black?" said Malfoy, sneering. "Spend holidays there and everything, don't you? Can't see how you stand the stink, but I suppose when you've been dragged up a mutt, even the Weasleys' hovel smells okay -"

Gienah grabbed hold of George. Meanwhile, it was taking the combined efforts of Angelina, Alicia and Katie to stop Fred leaping on Malfoy, who was laughing openly. Gienah looked around for Madam Hooch, but she was still berating Crabbe for his illegal Sludger attack.

"Or perhaps," said Malfoy, leering as he backed away, "you can remember what your mother's house stank like, Black, and Weasleys pigsty reminds you of it —"

Gienah was not aware of releasing George, all she knew was that a second later both of them were sprinting towards Malfoy. She had completely forgotten that all the teachers were watching: all she wanted to do was cause Malfoy as much pain as possible; with no time to draw out her wand, she merely drew back the fist clutching the Snitch and sank it as hard as she could into Malfoys stomach - "Gienah! GIENAH! GEORGE! NO"

She could hear girls' voices screaming, Malfoy yelling, George swearing, a whistle blowing and the bellowing of the crowd around him, but she did not care.

Not until somebody in the vicinity yelled "Impedimenta!" and she was knocked over backwards by the force of the spell, did she abandon the attempt to punch every inch of Malfoy she could reach.

"What do you think you're doing?" screamed Madam Hooch, as Gienah leapt to her feet. It seemed to have been her who had hit Gienah with the Impediment Jinx; she was holding her whistle in one hand and a wand in the other; her broom lay abandoned several feet away. Malfoy was curled up on the ground, whimpering and moaning, his nose bloody; George was sporting a swollen lip; Fred was still being forcibly restrained by the three Chasers, and Crabbe was cackling in the background.

"I've never seen behavior like it - back up to the castle, both of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! Now."

"Banned," said Angelina in a hollow voice, late that evening in the common room. "Banned. No Seeker and no Beaters… what on earth are we going to do?"

It did not feel as though they had won the match at all. Everywhere Gienah looked there were disconsolate and angry faces; the team themselves were slumped around the fire, all apart from Ron, who had not been seen since the end of the match.

"It's just so unfair," said Alicia numbly. "I mean, what about Crabbe and that Bludger he hit after the whistle had been blown? Has she banned him?"

"No," said Ginny miserably; she and Hermione were sitting on either side of Harry. "He just got lines, I heard Montague laughing about it at dinner."

Gienah stared miserably at the dark window. Snow was falling. The Snitch she had caught earlier was now zooming around and around the common room; people were watching its progress as though hypnotized and Crookshanks was leaping from chair to chair, trying to catch it.

"I'm going to bed," said Angelina, getting slowly to her feet. "Maybe this will all turn out to have been a bad dream… maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and find we haven't played yet…"

The common room emptied and now it was Gienah, Hermione and Harry. Gienah asked Missy to send Ambrosia to bed, too distracted to do anything.

"Where's Ron?" Gienah finally asked after a bleak silence.

But at that precise moment, there was a creaking sound behind them as the Fat Lady swung forwards and Ron came clambering through the portrait hole. He was very pale indeed and there was snow in his hair.

When he saw Harry and Hermione, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Where have you been?" said Hermione anxiously, springing up.

"Walking," Ron mumbled. He was still wearing his Quidditch things.

"You look frozen," said Hermione. "Come and sit down!"

Ron walked to the fireside and sank into the chair furthest from Gienah's - not looking at her. The stolen Snitch zoomed over their heads.

"I'm sorry," Ron mumbled, looking at his feet.

"What for?" said Harry.

"For thinking I can play Quidditch," said Ron.

"I'm going to resign first thing tomorrow."

"If you resign," said Gienah testily, "there'll only be three players left on the team."

And when Ron looked puzzled, she said, "I've been given a lifetime ban. So've Fred and George."

"What?" Ron yelped.

Harry told him the full story; Gienah could not bear to tell it again. When he had finished, Ron looked more anguished than ever.

"This is all my fault -"

"You didn't make me punch Malfoy," said Gienah angrily.

"- if I wasn't so terrible at Quidditch -"

"- it's got nothing to do with that."

"- it was that song that wound me up -"

"- it would've wound anyone up."

Hermione got up and walked to the window, away from the argument, watching the snow swirling down against the pane.

"Look, drop it, will you!" Gienah burst out. "It's bad enough, without you blaming yourself for everything!"

Ron said nothing but sat gazing miserably at the damp hem of his robes. After a while he said in a dull voice, "This is the worst I've ever felt in my life."

"Join the club," said Gienah bitterly.

"Well," said Hermione, her voice trembling slightly. "I can think of one thing that might cheer you both up."

"Oh yeah?" said Gienah skeptically.

"Yeah," said Hermione, turning away from the pitch-black, snow-flecked window, a broad smile spreading across her face.

"Hagrids back."


	41. The Eye of the Snake

Chapter Forty-Five: **The Eye of the Snake**

Harry sprinted up to the boys' dormitories to fetch the Invisibility Cloak. Gienah ran to her quarters and grabbed the Marauder's Map and wrapped her sleeping baby in a thick woolly blanket and gently placed a hat on her head. They crept through the portrait hole and covered themselves hastily in the Cloak - Ron had grown so much he now needed to crouch to prevent his feet showing - then, moving slowly and cautiously, they proceeded down the many staircases, pausing at intervals to check on the map for signs of Filch or Mrs. Norris.

They were lucky; they saw nobody but Nearly Headless Nick, who was gliding along absent-mindedly humming something that sounded horribly like Weasley is our King. They crept across the Entrance Hall and out into the silent, snowy grounds.

With a great leap of his heart, Gienah saw little golden squares of light ahead and smoke coiling up from Hagrid's chimney. She set off at a quick march, the other three jostling and bumping along behind her. They crunched excitedly through the thickening snow until at last they reached the wooden front door. When Harry raised his fist and knocked three times, a dog started barking frantically inside.

"Hagrid, its us!" Harry called through the keyhole.

"Shoulda known!" said a gruff voice. They beamed at each other under the Cloak; they could tell by Hagrid's voice that he was pleased.

"Bin home three seconds… out the way, Fang… out the way, yeh dozy dog…"

The bolt was drawn back, the door creaked open and Hagrid's head appeared in the gap.

Hermione screamed. Ambrosia startled awake and started crying in a high pitch sound.

"Shhh baby" Gienah rocked her in her arms.

"Merlin's beard, keep it down!" said Hagrid hastily, staring wildly over their heads. "Under that Cloak, are yeh? Well, get in, get in!"

"I'm sorry!" Hermione gasped, as the four of them squeezed past Hagrid into the house and pulled the Cloak off themselves so he could see them.

"I just - oh, Hagrid!"

"It's nuthin', it's nuthin'!" said Hagrid hastily, shutting the door behind them and hurrying to close all the curtains, but Hermione continued to gaze up at him in horror.

Hagrid's hair was matted with congealed blood and his left eye had been reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple and black bruising. There were many cuts on his face and hands, some of them still bleeding, and he was moving gingerly, which made Gienah suspect broken ribs.

It was obvious that he had only just got home; a thick black traveling cloak lay over the back of a chair and a haversack large enough to carry several small children leaned against the wall inside the door. Hagrid himself, twice the size of a normal man, limped over to the fire and placing a copper kettle over it.

"I'll do that" Gienah said kindly, ushering him to sit down, passing Ambrosia to Hagrid.

"Still a tetchy little thing aren't yer Rosie." Hagrid chuckled.

Ambrosia gurgled and pulled at his beard.

"What happened to you?" Harry demanded, while Fang danced around them all, trying to lick their faces.

"Told yeh, nuthin'," said Hagrid firmly.

"Come off it," said Ron, "you're in a right state!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, I'm fine," said Hagrid. "Blimey, it's good ter see yeh three again - had good summers, did yeh?"

"Hagrid, you've been attacked!" said Ron.

"I'm dealin' with it, all righ'?" said Hagrid repressively. He walked across to the enormous wooden table that stood in the middle of his cabin with Ambrosia in his large hand and twitched aside a tea towel that had been lying on it. Underneath was a raw, bloody, green-tinged steak slightly larger than the average car tire.

"You're not going to eat that, are you, Hagrid?" said Ron, leaning in for a closer look. "It looks poisonous."

"It's dragon meat," Gienah said with a grimace, serving them tea and rummaging in his cupboards looking for biscuits.

Hagrid picked up the steak and slapped it over the left side of his face. Greenish blood trickled down into his beard as he gave a soft moan of satisfaction. "Tha's better. It helps with the stingin', yeh know."

Ambrosia attempted to touch the squidgy steak but Hagrid waved her away.

"Did the giants beat you up, Hagrid?" asked Hermione quietly. Hagrid's fingers slipped on the dragon steak and it slid squelchily on to his chest.

"Giants?" said Hagrid, catching the steak before it reached his belt and slapping it back over his face, "who said anythin' abou' giants? Who yeh bin talkin' to? Who's told yeh what I've - who's said I've bin - eh?"

"We guessed," said Hermione apologetically.

"Oh, yeh did, did yeh?" said Hagrid, surveying her sternly with the eye that was not hidden by the steak.

"So you have been to look for giants?" said Harry, grinning as he sat down at the table.

"Yeah, all righ'," he grunted, "I have."

"Come on, Hagrid, tell us what you've been up to!" said Ron.

"Oh, all righ'," Hagrid said in a resigned voice. He bent down and tugged the dragon steak out of Fang's mouth. He took another fortifying gulp of tea, then said, "Well, we set off righ' after term ended -"

"Madame Maxime went with you, then?" Hermione interjected.

"Yeah, tha's righ'," said Hagrid, and a softened expression appeared on the few inches of face that were not obscured by beard or green steak.

"Yeah, it was jus' the pair of us. An' I'll tell yeh this, she's not afraid of roughin' it, Olympe. Yeh know, she's a fine, well-dressed woman, an' knowin' where we was goin' I wondered 'ow she'd feel abou' clamberin' over boulders an' sleepin' in caves an' tha', bu' she never complained once."

"You knew where you were going?" Gienah repeated. "You knew where the giants were?"

"Well, Dumbledore knew, an' he told us," said Hagrid. "Took us abou' a month ter get there -"

"A month?" said Ron, as though he had never heard of a journey lasting such a ridiculously long time. "But - why couldn't you just grab a Portkey or something?"

There was an odd expression in Hagrid's unobscured eye as he surveyed Ron; it was almost pitying.

"We're bein' watched, Ron," he said gruffly.

"What d'you mean?"

"Yeh don' understand," said Hagrid. "The Ministry's keepin' an eye on Dumbledore an' anyone they reckon's in league with 'im, an' -"

"We know about that," said Harry quickly keen to hear the rest of Hagrid's story, "we know about the Ministry watching Dumbledore -"

"We was pretendin' we was goin' on holiday together, so we got inter France an' we made like we was headin' fer where Olympes school is, 'cause we knew we was bein' tailed by someone from the Ministry. We had to go slow, 'cause I'm not really s'posed ter use magic an' we knew the Ministry'd be lookin' fer a reason ter run us in. But we managed ter give the berk tailin' us the slip round abou' Dee-John —"

"Ooooh, Dijon?" said Hermione excitedly. "I've been there on holiday, did you see -?"

She fell silent at the look on Ron's face. "We chanced a bit o' magic after that an' it wasn' a bad journey. Ran inter a couple o' mad trolls on the Polish border an' I had a sligh' disagreement with a vampire in a pub in Minsk, bu' apart from tha' couldn't'a bin smoother.

"An' then we reached the place, an' we started trekkin' up through the mountains, lookin' fer signs of 'em…

"We had ter lay off the magic once we got near 'em. Partly 'cause they don' like wizards an' we didn' want ter put their backs up too soon, an' partly 'cause Dumbledore had warned us YouKnow-Who was bound ter be after the giants an' all. Said it was odds on he'd sent a messenger off ter them already. Told us ter be very careful of drawin' attention ter ourselves as we got nearer in case there was Death Eaters around." Hagrid paused for a long draught of tea.

"Went over a ridge one nigh' an' there they was, spread ou' underneath us. Little fires burnin' below an' huge shadows… it was like watchin' bits o' the mountain movin'."

"I reckon there was abou' seventy or eighty," said Hagrid.

"Is that all?" said Hermione. "Yep," said Hagrid sadly, "eighty left, an' there was loads once, musta bin a hundred diff'rent tribes from all over the world. Bu' they've bin dyin' out fer ages. Wizards killed a few, o' course, bu' mostly they killed each other, an' now they're dyin' out faster than ever. They're not made ter live bunched up together like tha'. Dumbledore says it's our fault, it was the wizards who forced 'em to go an' made 'em live a good long way from us an' they had no choice bu' ter stick together fer their own protection."

"So," said Harry, "you saw them and then what?"

"Well, we waited till morning, didn' want ter go sneakin' up on 'em in the dark, fer our own safety," said Hagrid. "Bout three in the mornin' they fell asleep jus' where they was sittin'. We didn' dare sleep. Fer one thing, we wanted ter make sure none of 'em woke up an' came up where we were, an' fer another, the snorin' was unbelievable. Caused an avalanche near mornin'.

"Anyway, once it was light we wen' down ter see 'em." "Just like that?" said Ron, looking awestruck. "You just walked right into a giant camp?"

"Well, Dumbledore'd told us how ter do it," said Hagrid. "Give the Gurg gifts, show some respect, yeh know."

"Give the what gifts?" asked Harry. "Oh, the Gurg - means the chief."

"How could you tell which one was the Gurg?" asked Ron. Hagrid grunted in amusement. "No problem," he said. "He was the biggest, the ugliest an' the laziest. Sittin' there waitin' ter be brought food by the others. Dead goats an' such like. Name o' Karkus. I'd put him at twentytwo, twenty-three feet an' the weight o' a couple o' bull elephants. Skin like rhino hide an' all."

"And you just walked up to him?" said Hermione breathlessly.

"Well… down ter him, where he was lyin' in the valley. They was in this dip between four pretty high mountains, see, beside a mountain lake, an' Karkus was lyin' by the lake roarin' at the others ter feed him an' his wife. Olympe an' I went down the mountainside -"

"But didn't they try and kill you when they saw you?" asked Ron incredulously.

"It was def'nitely on some o' their minds," said Hagrid, shrugging, "but we did what Dumbledore told us ter do, which was ter hold our gift up high an' keep our eyes on the Gurg an' ignore the others. So tha's what we did. An' the rest of 'em went quiet an' watched us pass an' we got right up ter Karkus's feet an' we bowed an' put our present down in front o' him."

"What do you give a giant?" asked Ron eagerly. "Food?" "Nah, he can get food all righ' fer himself," said Hagrid. "We took him magic. Giants like magic, jus' don' like us usin' it against 'em. Anyway, that firs' day we gave 'im a branch o' Gubraithian fire."

Gienah said, "Wow!" softly, but Harry and Ron both frowned in puzzlement. "A branch of -?"

"Everlasting fire," said Hermione irritably, "you ought to know that by now. Professor Flitwick's mentioned it at least twice in class!"

"Well, anyway," said Hagrid quickly, intervening before Ron could answer back, "Dumbledore'd bewitched this branch to burn fer evermore, which isn' somethin' any wizard could do, an' so I lies it down in the snow by Karkus's feet and says, 'A gift to the Gurg of the giants from Albus Dumbledore, who sends his respectful greetings.'"

"And what did Karkus say?" asked Harry eagerly. "Nothin'," said Hagrid. "Didn' speak English." "You're kidding!"

"Didn' matter," said Hagrid imperturbably, "Dumbledore had warned us tha' migh' happen. Karkus knew enough to yell fer a couple o' giants who knew our lingo an' they translated fer us."

"And did he like the present?" asked Ron.

"Oh yeah, it went down a storm once they understood what it was," said Hagrid, turning his dragon steak over to press the cooler side to his swollen eye. "Very pleased. So then I said, Dumbledore asks the Gurg to speak with his messenger when he returns tomorrow with another gift."

"Why couldn't you speak to them that day?" asked Hermione.

"Dumbledore wanted us ter take it very slow," said Hagrid. "Let 'em see we kept our promises. We'll come back tomorrow with another present, an' then we do come back with another present - gives a good impression, see? An' gives them time ter test out the firs' present an' find out it's a good one, an' get 'em eager fer more. In any case, giants like Karkus - overload 'em with information an' they'll kill yeh jus' to simplify things. So we bowed outta the way an' went off an' found ourselves a nice little cave ter spend that night in an' the followin' mornin' we went back an' this time we found Karkus sittin' up waitin' fer us lookin' all eager."

"And you talked to him?"

"Oh yeah. Firs' we presented him with a nice battle helmet -goblin-made an' indestructible, yeh know - an' then we sat down an' we talked."

"What did he say?"

"Not much," said Hagrid. "Listened mostly. Bu' there were good signs. He'd heard o' Dumbledore, heard he'd argued against the killin' o' the last giants in Britain. Karkus seemed ter be quite int'rested in what Dumbledore had ter say. An' a few o' the others, 'specially the ones who had some English, they gathered round an' listened too. We were hopeful when we left that day. Promised ter come back next mornin' with another present… "Bu' that night it all wen' wrong."

"What d'you mean?" said Ron quickly. "Well, like I say, they're not meant ter live together, giants," said Hagrid sadly. "Not in big groups like that. They can' help themselves, they half kill each other every few weeks. The men fight each other an' the women fight each other; the remnants of the old tribes fight each other, an' that's even without squabbles over food an' the best fires an' sleepin' spots. Yeh'd think, seein' as how their whole race is abou' finished, they'd lay off each other, bu'…" Hagrid sighed deeply. "That night a fight broke out, we saw it from the mouth of our cave, lookin' down on the valley. Went on fer hours, yeh wouldn' believe the noise. An' when the sun came up the snow was scarlet an' his head was lyin' at the bottom o' the lake."

"Whose head?" gasped Hermione.

"Karkus's," said Hagrid heavily. "There was a new Gurg, Golgomath." He sighed deeply. "Well, we hadn' bargained on a new Gurg two days after we'd made friendly contact with the firs' one, an' we had a funny feelin' Golgomath wouldn' be so keen ter listen to us, bu' we had ter try."

"You went to speak to him?" asked Ron incredulously. "After you'd watched him rip off another giant's head?"

"Course we did," said Hagrid, "we hadn' gone all that way ter give up after two days! We wen' down with the next present we'd meant ter give ter Karkus.

"I knew it was no go before I'd opened me mouth. He was sitting there wearin' Karkus's helmet, leerin' at us as we got nearer. He's massive, one o' the biggest ones there. Black hair an' matchin' teeth an' a necklace o' bones. Human-lookin' bones, some of 'em. Well, I gave it a go - held out a great roll o' dragon skin - an' said, 'gift fer the Gurg of the giants —' Nex' thing I knew, I was hangin' upside-down in the air by me feet, two of his mates had grabbed me."

Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth.

"How did you get out of that?" asked Gienah.

"Wouldn'ta done if Olympe hadn' bin there," said Hagrid. "She pulled out her wand an' did some o' the fastes' spellwork I've ever seen. Ruddy marvellous. Hit the two holdin' me right in the eyes with Conjunctivitus Curses an' they dropped me straightaway - bu' we were in trouble then, 'cause we'd used magic against 'em, an' that's what giants hate abou' wizards. We had ter leg it an' we knew there was no way we was going ter be able ter march inter the camp again."

"Blimey, Hagrid," said Ron quietly.

"So, how come it's taken you so long to get home if you were only there for three days?" asked Hermione.

"We didn' leave after three days!" said Hagrid, looking outraged. "Dumbledore was relyin' on us!"

"But you've just said there was no way you could go back!"

"Not by daylight we couldn', no. We just had ter rethink a bit. Spent a couple o' days lyin' low up in the cave an' watchin'. An' wha' we saw wasn' good."

"Did he rip off more heads?" asked Hermione, sounding squeamish. "No," said Hagrid, "I wish he had."

"What d'you mean?"

"I mean we soon found out he didn' object ter all wizards - just us."

"Death Eaters?" said Harry quickly.

"Yep," said Hagrid darkly. "Couple of 'em were visitin' him ev'ry day, bringin' gifts ter the Gurg, an' he wasn' dangling them upside-down."

"How d'you know they were Death Eaters?" said Ron. "Because I recognized one of 'em," Hagrid growled. "Macnair, remember him? Bloke they sent ter kill Buckbeak? Maniac, he is. Likes killin' as much as Golgomath; no wonder they were gettin' on so well."

"So Macnairs persuaded the giants to join You-Know-Who?" said Hermione desperately.

"Hold yer Hippogriffs, I haven' finished me story yet!" said Hagrid indignantly, who, considering he had not wanted to tell them anything in the first place, now seemed to be rather enjoying himself. "Me an' Olympe talked it over an' we agreed, jus' 'cause the Gurg looked like favorin' You-Know-Who didn' mean all of 'em would. We had ter try an' persuade some o' the others, the ones who hadn' wanted Golgomath as Gurg."

"How could you tell which ones they were?" asked Ron. "Well, they were the ones bein' beaten to a pulp, weren' they?" said Hagrid patiently. "The ones with any sense were keepin' outta Golgomath's way, hidin' out in caves roun' the gully jus' like we were. So we decided we'd go pokin' round the caves by night an' see if we couldn' persuade a few o' them."

"You went poking around dark caves looking for giants?" said Ron, with awed respect in his voice.

"Well, it wasn' the giants who worried us most," said Hagrid. "We were more concerned abou' the Death Eaters. Dumbledore had told us before we wen' not ter tangle with 'em if we could avoid it, an' the trouble was they knew we was around — 'spect Golgomath told 'em abou' us. At night, when the giants were sleepin' an' we wanted ter be creepin' inter the caves, Macnair an' the other one were sneakin' round the mountains lookin' fer us. I was hard put to stop Olympe jumpin' out at 'em," said Hagrid, the corners of his mouth lifting his wild beard, "she was rarin' ter attack 'em… she's somethin' when she's roused, Olympe… fiery, yeh know… 'spect it's the French in her…"

Hagrid gazed misty-eyed into the fire. Harry allowed him thirty seconds of reminiscence before clearing his throat loudly.

"So, what happened? Did you ever get near any of the other giants?"

"What? Oh… oh, yeah, we did. Yeah, on the third night after Karkus was killed we crept outta the cave we'd bin hidin' in an' headed back down inter the gully, keepin' our eyes skinned fer the Death Eaters. Got inside a few o' the caves, no go - then, in abou' the sixth one, we found three giants hidin'."

"Cave must've been cramped," said Ron.

"Wasn' room ter swing a Kneazle," said Hagrid.

"Didn't they attack you when they saw you?" asked Hermione. "Probably woulda done if they'd bin in any condition," said Hagrid, "but they was badly hurt, all three o' them; Golgomath's lot had beaten 'em unconscious; they'd woken up an' crawled inter the nearest shelter they could find. Anyway, one o' them had a bit of English an' 'e translated fer the others, an' what we had ter say didn' seem ter go down too badly. So we kep' goin' back, visitin' the wounded… I reckon we had abou' six or seven o' them convinced at one poin'."

"Six or seven?" said Ron eagerly. "Well that's not bad - are they going to come over here and start fighting You-Know-Who with us?"

But Gienah said, "What do you mean 'one point', Hagrid?"

Hagrid looked at her sadly. "Golgomath's lot raided the caves. The ones tha' survived didn' wan' no more ter to do with us after that."

"So… so there aren't any giants coming?" said Ron, looking disappointed.

"Nope," said Hagrid, heaving a deep sigh as he turned over his steak and applied the cooler side to his face, "but we did wha' we meant ter do, we g ave 'em Dumbledore's message an' some o' them heard it an' I spect some o' them'll remember it. Jus' maybe, them that don' want ter stay around Golgomath'll move outta the mountains, an' there's gotta be a chance they'll remember Dumbledore's friendly to 'em… could be they'll come."

Snow was filling up the window now.

"Hagrid?" said Gienah quietly after a while. "Mmm?" "Did you… was there any sign of… did you hear anything about your… your… mother while you were there?"

Hagrid's unobscured eye rested upon her.

"I'm sorry… I… forget it -"

"Dead," Hagrid grunted. "Died years ago. They told me." "

"Oh… I'm… I'm really sorry" said Hermione in a very small voice.

Hagrid shrugged his massive shoulders.

"No need," he said shortly. "Can't remember her much. Wasn' a great mother."

They were silent again.

"But you still haven't explained how you got in this state, Hagrid," Ron said, gesturing towards Hagrid's bloodstained face.

"Or why you're back so late," said Gienah. "Father says Madame Maxime got back ages ago -"

"Who attacked you?" said Ron.

"I haven' bin attacked!" said Hagrid emphatically. "I -"

But the rest of his words were drowned in a sudden outbreak of rapping on the door. Hermione gasped; her mug slipped through her fingers and smashed on the floor; Fang yelped. All five of them stared at the window beside the doorway. The shadow of somebody small and squat rippled across the thin curtain.

"It's her!" Ron whispered.

"Get under here!" Gienah said quickly; seizing the Invisibility Cloak, she whirled it over herself and Hermione while Ron and Harry tore around the table and dived under the Cloak as well.

"Ambrosia!" Gienah said, kicking herself as she ran to Hagrid and pulled her away from him. Gienah led them away to the back door. Fang was barking madly at the door. Hagrid looked thoroughly confused. Ambrosia looked like she was about to start wailing again.

"Shh Rosie" Gienah whispered. "Can you be quiet for mummy?"

Harry pressed his ear to the back door trying to listen.

"Shh" Gienah hushed Ambrosia, rocking her in her arms. It was far too cold outside. Ambrosia's nose had turned red and she was shivering.

"I have to take Rose inside." Gienah sighed. "Tell Hagrid I'll visit him soon."

Harry nodded and Gienah and Ambrosia returned to the castle. A concerned house-elf greeted them as they returned to their chambers.

December arrived, bringing with it more snow and a positive avalanche of homework for the fifth-years. Ron and Hermione's prefect duties also became more and more onerous as Christmas approached. They were called upon to supervise the decoration of the castle ("You try putting up tinsel when Peeves has got the other end and is trying to strangle you with it," said Ron), to watch over first- and second-years spending their break-times inside because of the bitter cold ("And they're cheeky little snot-rags, you know, we definitely weren't that rude when we were in first year," said Ron) and to patrol the corridors in shifts with Argus Filch, who suspected that the holiday spirit might show itself in an outbreak of wizard duels ("He's got dung for brains, that one," said Ron furiously).

Gienah and Luna arrived early for their last DA meeting before Christmas. Luna was looking as dreamy as always.

"Hello," she said vaguely, looking around at what remained of the decorations.

"These are nice, did you put them up?" Luna said as Gienah sniggered.

There were brightly coloured baubles decorated around the room with Harry's face on them saying "HAVE A VERY HARRY CHRISTMAS"

"No," said Harry, "it was Dobby the house-elf."

"Mistletoe," said Luna dreamily, pointing at a large clump of white berries placed almost over Harry's head. He jumped out from under it.

"Good thinking," said Luna very seriously. "It's often infested with Nargles."

"Congratulations" Gienah said brightly. "You breezed through the try outs. Angelina just told me."

Harry looked apologetic.

"If I couldn't be out there I'm glad it's you." Gienah said seriously.

"And what about the Beaters?" he asked.

"Andrew Kirke," said Gienah biting her lip, "and Jack Sloper."

The arrival of Ron, Hermione and Neville brought the discussion to an end.

"Okay," Harry said, calling them all to order. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break -"

"We're not doing anything new?" said Zacharias Smith, in a disgruntled whisper loud enough to carry through the room. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come."

"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," said Fred loudly.

Several people sniggered. Harry saw Cho laughing and felt the familiar swooping sensation in his stomach, as though he had missed a step going downstairs.

"- we can practice in pairs," said Harry. "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, for ten minutes, then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again."

They all divided up obediently; Gienah partnered Deyanira as usual. The room was soon full of intermittent cries of "Impedimenta!" People froze for a minute or so, during which their partner would stare aimlessly around the room watching other pairs at work, then would unfreeze and take their turn at the jinx. Deyanira had improved beyond all recognition.

After ten minutes on the Impediment Jinx, they laid out cushions all over the floor and started practicing Stunning again. Space was really too confined to allow them all to work this spell at once; half the group observed the others for a while, then swapped over.

At the end of an hour, Harry called a halt. "You're getting really good," he said, beaming around at them. "When we get back from the holidays we can start doing some of the big stuff - maybe even Patronuses." There was a murmur of excitement.

The room began to clear in the usual twos and threes; most people wished Harry a "Happy Christmas" as they went.

Gienah invited Deyanira over to her chambers for hot chocolate. Deyanira smiled and followed Hermione and Ron towards the sixth floor. Harry lingered behind with Cho and Gienah sighed.

"Ginny!" Gienah called down the corridor. "Hot chocolate back at my room?"

Ginny shook her head and continued to walk along with Michael Corner. Ron grumbled.

"I don't think Ginny likes me" Deyanira said quietly as they all watched her and Corner disappear round the corner.

"Nonsense." Gienah said. "Ginny's just going through something at the moment."

"Here we are" Gienah said, letting them into her living room. "Missy!"

Missy appeared from the bedroom.

"I is just putting Miss Rosie to bed." Missy smiled. "Hot chocolate for the guests?"

"You read my mind." Gienah winked at Missy.

"I can not wait to get out of here." Ron leaned back in her armchair with a sigh.

"Why don't you come over to the cottage for Christmas?" Gienah said. "Charlie's celebrating with us this year I think, and the Tonks."

"Aren't you celebrating in the manor?" Ron said.

"Well if we are, all the more reason" Gienah smiled.

"The manor?" Deyanira asked.

"The Black's are filthy rich" Ron snorted. "Though it's not even a manor. More of a palace."

"I wonder how it must be like growing up in a palace." Deyanira sighed.

"Wouldn't know" Gienah said. "I grew up in a cottage in the middle of nowhere. Dad only moved in this summer what with the.. expanding family."

"Ha!" Ron laughed. "Expanding? Try exploding."

"Both my step-mothers and I were pregnant at the same time." Gienah explained with a small smile. "And we already had two little one's in the house. Cassiopeia and Mira."

"Are all your family named after stars?" Deyanira asked.

"Most" Gienah said. "It's a Black tradition."

Missy appeared then with a tray of mugs, a bowl of whipped cream, a cinnamon shaker and marshmallows.

"Thank you Missy." Gienah said graciously. "Do join us."

Missy thanked her and sat down on a footstool, a perfect size for her.

"Missy, meet Deyanira." Gienah introduced the two of them. "She is a new addition to Gryffindor this year, she'll be joining us for Christmas."

"I am most humbled to meet you Miss Deyanira." Missy curtseyed.

"Urm, what is she?" Deyanira whispered to Ron.

"A house-elf Miss" Missy said with a laugh. "You is muggleborn?"

"I'm afraid I don't know." Deyanira confessed.

"You are a mystery" Hermione said, pausing for her letter writing.

Just then Harry entered.

"What kept you?" Ron asked, as Harry sank into the armchair next to Hermione's.

Harry didn't answer. H

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked, peering at him over the tip of her quill. Harry gave a half-hearted shrug. In truth, he didn't know whether he was alright or not.

"What's up?" said Ron.

"Is it Cho?" Hermione asked in a businesslike way. "Did she corner you after the meeting?"

Harry nodded.

Ron sniggered, breaking off when Hermione caught his eye.

"So - er - what did she want?" he asked in a mock casual voice. "She -"

Harry began, rather hoarsely; he cleared his throat and tried again. "She - er -"

"Did you kiss?" asked Hermione briskly.

Ron almost choked on his hot chocolate as he stared avidly at Harry. Deyanira blushed.

"Well?" he demanded.

Harry nodded.

"HA!" Ron made a triumphant gesture with his fist and went into a raucous peal of laughter that made several timid-looking second-years over beside the window jump. A reluctant grin spread over Harry's face as he watched Ron rolling around on the hearthrug. Hermione gave Ron a look of deep disgust and returned to her letter.

"Well?" Ron said finally, looking up at Harry. "How was it?"

"Wet," he said truthfully.

Ron made a noise that might have indicated jubilation or disgust, it was hard to tell.

"Oh do grow up" Gienah reprimanded him.

"She was the one who started it," said Harry. "I wouldn't've - she just sort of came at me - I didn't know what to do —"

"Are you going to see her again?" Gienah asked.

"I'll have to, won't I?" said Harry. "We've got D.A. meetings, haven't we?"

"You know what I mean," said Gienah impatiently.

Harry said nothing.

"Oh well," said Hermione distantly, buried in her letter once more, "you'll have plenty of opportunities to ask her."

"What if he doesn't want to ask her?" said Ron, who had been watching Harry with an unusually shrewd expression on his face.

"Don't be silly," said Hermione vaguely, "Harry's liked her for ages, haven't you, Harry?"

"Who're you writing the novel to, anyway?" Ron asked Hermione, trying to read the bit of parchment now trailing on the floor. Hermione hitched it up out of sight.

"Viktor."

"Krum?"

"How many other Viktors do we know?" Ron said nothing, but looked disgruntled.

Hermione finished her letter and asked Gienah if she could use Hermes for the long journey. Gienah nodded. Harry and Ron had their Transfiguration essay to finish so they retired to the common room after finishing their hot chocolate.

"I don't like this." Gienah turned quickly to Hermione.

"I know you don't like her." Hermione sighed. "But really you and Cedric weren't really talking and for all she knew you two had broken up."

"Is Cedric Rose's father?" Deyanira said. "The boy who died in the tournament?"

Gienah nodded.

"It must be hard" Deyanira said quietly. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"It isn't so bad" Gienah whispered. "I have all the support I could want."

Gienah smiled at Missy.

"I would really rather have Harry fancy you or Ginny" Gienah said. "I think she's only interested in him because he's the boy-who-lived."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Harry likes him Gen" Hermione said. "You're going to have to accept it. Don't be Ron about this."

Gienah scowled.

"We should return to the tower" Hermione said, looking at her watch.

"Good night" Deyanira said.

"Night" Gienah waved.

Gienah groaned as she heard an urgent knocking outside her rooms. Pulling her dressing gown on she ran to the door and saw Professor McGonagall in a tartan dressing gown standing with Fred, George and Ginny.

"Arthur's been attacked." The professor said, her face paler than usual. "You must come to the headmaster's office at once. You are leaving Hogwarts."

"But.. my things. Ambrosia.."

"Missy will retrieve them for you." Professor McGonagall said urgently.

Gienah pulled on her winter boots, grabbed her cloak and gently took Ambrosia in her arms. Wrapping her in her favourite woolly blanket and followed her to the headmasters office.

"What happened?" Gienah whispered.

"No bloody clue" Fred grumbled. "Professor won't tell us."

Gienah saw the boys were wearing their slippers and Ginny was barefooted.

"Harry - what's going on?" asked Ginny, who looked frightened. "Professor McGonagall says you saw Dad get hurt -"

"Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix," said Dumbledore, before Harry could speak. "He has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Grimmauld Place, which is much more convenient for the hospital than The Burrow. You will meet your mother there."

"How're we going?" asked Fred, looking shaken. "Floo powder?"

"No," said Dumbledore, "Floo powder is not safe at the moment, the Network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey." He indicated the old kettle lying innocently on his desk.

"We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back… I want to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you -"

There was a flash of flame in the very middle of the office, leaving behind a single golden feather that floated gently to the floor.

"It is Fawkes's warning," said Dumbledore, catching the feather as it fell. "Professor Umbridge must know you're out of your beds… Minerva, go and head her off - tell her any story -"

Professor McGonagall was gone in a swish of tartan.

"He says he'll be delighted," said a bored voice behind Dumbledore; the wizard called Phineas had reappeared in front of his Slytherin banner. "My great-great-grandson has always had an odd taste in house-guests."

"Come here, then," Dumbledore said to Harry, Gienah and the Weasleys. "And quickly, before anyone else joins us."

Gienah and the others gathered around Dumbledore's desk.

"You have all used a Portkey before?" asked Dumbledore, and they nodded, each reaching out to touch some part of the blackened kettle. "Good. On the count of three, then… one… two…"

Gienah felt a powerful jerk behind her navel, the ground vanished from beneath her feet, her hand was glued to the kettle; she was banging into the others as they all sped forwards in a swirl of colors and a rush of wind, the kettle pulling them onwards… until her feet hit the ground so hard her knees buckled, the kettle clattered to the ground, and somewhere close at hand a voice said "Merry Christmas".

Gienah scrambled to her feet, checking if Ambrosia was unharmed and to her surprise she was still fast asleep. They had arrived in the gloomy basement kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place.

The only sources of light were the fire and one guttering candle, which illuminated the remains of a solitary supper. Kreacher was disappearing through the door to the hall, looking back at them malevolently as he hitched up his loincloth; Sirius was hurrying towards them all, looking anxious.

"What's going on?" Sirius said, stretching out a hand to help Ginny up. "Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured —"

"Ask Harry," said Fred.

"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," said George.

The twins and Ginny were staring at Harry. Kreacher's footsteps had stopped on the stairs outside.

"It was -" Harry began. "I had a - a kind of – vision."

And Harry told them all that he had seen, how he had watched from the sidelines as the snake attacked. Ron, who was still very white, gave him a fleeting look, but did not speak. When Harry had finished, Fred, George and Ginny continued to stare at him for a moment.

"Is Mum here?" said Fred, turning to Sirius.

"She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet," said Sirius. "The important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore's letting Molly know now."

"We've got to go to St. Mungo's," said Fred urgently. "Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or anything?"

"Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" said Sirius.

"He's our dad!" George said.

"And how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?"

"What does that matter?" said George hotly.

"It matters because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away!" said Sirius angrily. "Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?"

Fred and George looked as though they could not care less what the Ministry made of anything. Gienah was silent. Ron said, "Somebody else could have told us… we could have heard it somewhere other than Harry."

"Like who?" said Sirius impatiently. "Listen, your dad's been hurt while on duty for the Order and the circumstances are fishy enough without his children knowing about it seconds after it happened, you could seriously damage the Order's -"

"We don't care about the dumb Order!" shouted Fred.

"It's our dad dying we're talking about!" yelled George.

"Your father knew what he was getting into and he won't thank you for messing things up for the Order!" said Sirius, equally angry. "This is how it is - this is why you're not in the Order - you don't understand - there are things worth dying for! I know it's hard, but we've all got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?"

Fred and George still looked mutinous. The twins glared at Sirius for another minute, then took seats either side of Ginny.

"That's right," said Sirius encouragingly, "come on, let's all… let's all have a drink while we're waiting. Accio Butterbeer!" He raised his wand as he spoke and half a dozen bottles came flying towards them out of the pantry, skidded along the table.

They all drank, and for a while the only sounds were those of the crackling of the kitchen fire and the soft thud of their bottles on the table.

Then a burst of fire in midair illuminated the dirty plates in front of them and, as they gave cries of shock, a scroll of parchment fell with a thud on to the table, accompanied by a single golden phoenix tail feather.

"Fawkes!" said Sirius at once, snatching up the parchment. "That's not Dumbledore's writing - it must be a message from your mother - here -"

He thrust the letter into George's hand, who ripped it open and read aloud: "Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St. Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can. Mum."

George looked around the table.

"Still alive…" he said slowly.

"But that makes it sound…" He did not need to finish the sentence.

Sirius suggested once, without any real conviction, that they all go to bed, but the Weasleys' looks of disgust were answer enough. They mostly sat in silence around the table, watching the candle wick sinking lower and lower into liquid wax, occasionally raising a bottle to their lips, speaking only to check the time, to wonder aloud what was happening, and to reassure each other that if there was bad news, they would know straightaway, for Mrs. Weasley must long since have arrived at St. Mungo's. Fred fell into a doze, his head lolling sideways on to his shoulder. Ginny was curled like a cat on her chair, but her eyes were open; Gienah could see them reflecting the firelight. Ron was sitting with his head in his hands, whether awake or asleep it was impossible to tell.

Gienah and Sirius looked at each other every so often, intruders upon the family grief, waiting… waiting… At ten past five in the morning by Ron's watch, the kitchen door swung open and Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen. She was extremely pale, but when they all turned to look at her, Fred, Ron and Harry half rising from their chairs, she gave a wan smile.

"He's going to be all right," she said, her voice weak with tiredness. "He's sleeping. We can all go and see him later. Bill's sitting with him now; he's going to take the morning off work."

Fred fell back into his chair with his hands over his face. George and Ginny got up, walked swiftly over to their mother and hugged her. Ron gave a very shaky laugh and downed the rest of his Butterbeer in one.

"Breakfast!" said Sirius loudly and joyfully, jumping to his feet. "Where's that accursed house elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!"

But Kreacher did not answer the summons.

"Oh, forget it, then," muttered Sirius, counting the people in front of him. "So, it's breakfast for - let's see - seven bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea, and toast -"

Gienah hurried over to the stove to help. She did not want to intrude on the Weasleys' happiness.

"Oh, Sirius, I'm so grateful… they think he'll be there a little while and it would be wonderful to be nearer… of course, that might mean we're here for Christmas."

"The more the merrier!" said Sirius with such obvious sincerity that Mrs. Weasley beamed at him, threw on an apron and began to help with breakfast.

Gienah spent the rest of the morning sleeping. Their trunks arrived from Hogwarts while they were eating lunch, so they could dress as Muggles for the trip to St Mungo's. Everybody except Harry was riotously happy and talkative as they changed out of their robes into jeans and sweatshirts.

"Aww!" Ginny cooed as Gienah came down with Ambrosia in her new frock Sirius had brought for her.

Ambrosia was not the only one fascinated by the underground. Ron looked suspiciously around for the driver as he stepped onto the carriage. When the train started going she placed both her hands against the glass and watched the platform speed out of sight. The tube was loud and her hands vibrated against the glass. Ambrosia looked around with an open smile in surprise and brought Gienah's hand against the glass so she could feel it too.

"That's right Rosie it's moving." Gienah smiled.

Ambrosia started babbling cheerfully and climbed onto her grandfathers lap to show him the same thing. Althena looked wearily at Ambrosia as she spoke her nonsense speak with her father.

An attractive muggle woman smiled down at Sirius entertaining the two girls and to Gienah's annoyance he winked at her.

"Dad", Gienah said through gritted teeth.

Sirius only laughed.

Gienah had never been to St. Mungo's through the visitor's entrance. She watched with interest as Tonks spoke to the shoop dummy and they found themselves in what seemed to be a crowded reception area where rows of witches and wizards sat upon rickety wooden chairs, some looking perfectly normal and perusing out-of-date copies of Witch Weekly, others sporting gruesome disfigurements such as elephant trunks or extra hands sticking out of their chests.

Witches and wizards in lime-green robes were walking up and down the rows, asking questions and making notes on clipboards like Umbridge's.

"Are they doctors?" Harry asked Ron quietly.

"Doctors?" said Ron, looking startled. "Those Muggle nutters that cut people up? Nah, they're Healers."

"Over here!" called Mrs. Weasley above the renewed clanging of the warlock in the corner, and they followed her to the queue in front of a plump blonde witch seated at a desk marked Enquiries.

At the front of the queue, a young wizard was performing an odd on-the-spot jig and trying, in between yelps of pain, to explain his predicament to the witch behind the desk.

"It's these - ouch - shoes my brother gave me - ow- they're eating my - OUCH - feet - look at them, there must be some kind of - AARGH - jinx on them and I can't - AAAAARGH - get them off." He hopped from one foot to the other as though dancing on hot coals.

"The shoes don't prevent you reading, do they?" said the blonde witch, irritably pointing at a large sign to the left of her desk. "You want Spell Damage, fourth floor. Just like it says on the floor guide. Next!"

As the wizard hobbled and pranced sideways out of the way, the Weasley party moved forward a few steps.

A very old, stooped wizard with a hearing trumpet had shuffled to the front of the queue now.

"I'm here to see Broderick Bode!" he wheezed.

"Ward forty-nine, but I'm afraid you're wasting your time," said the witch dismissively. "He's completely addled, you know - still thinks he's a teapot. Next!"

A harassed-looking wizard was holding his small daughter tightly by the ankle while she flapped around his head using the immensely large, feathery wings that had sprouted right out through the back of her romper suit.

"Fourth floor," said the witch, in a bored voice, without asking, and the man disappeared through the double doors beside the desk, holding his daughter like an oddly shaped balloon.

"Next!" Mrs. Weasley moved forward to the desk.

"Hello," she said, "my husband, Arthur Weasley, was supposed to be moved to a different ward this morning, could you tell us -?"

"Arthur Weasley?" said the witch, running her finger down a long list in front of her. "Yes, first floor, second door on the right, Dai Llewellyn Ward."

"Thank you," said Mrs. Weasley. "Come on, you lot."

They followed her through the double doors and along the narrow corridor beyond, which was lined with more portraits of famous Healers and lit by crystal bubbles full of candles that floated up on the ceiling, looking like giant soapsuds. More witches and wizards in lime-green robes walked in and out of the doors they passed; a foul-smelling yellow gas wafted into the passageway as they passed one door, and every now and then they heard distant wailing. They climbed a flight of stairs and entered the Creature-Induced Injuries corridor, where the second door on the right bore the words: Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn Ward: Serious Bites.

"I'm going to see Alyssandra" Sirius said from the door. "Be back in a bit."

"We'll wait outside, Molly," Tonks said. "Arthur won't want too many visitors at once… it ought to be just the family first."

Mad-Eye growled his approval of this idea and set himself with his back against the corridor wall, his magical eye spinning in all directions. Harry and Gienah drew back, too, but Mrs. Weasley reached out a hand and pushed him through the door, saying, "Don't be silly, Harry, Arthur wants to thank you."

Ambrosia was staring at Moody. To Gienah's surprise Moody smiled at her, causing her to babble at him in her own made up language. Gienah looked at Tonks who shook her head.

"Twins eh?" Gienah grinned.

Tonks grumbled.

"Anyone would think you didn't want your children" Moody growled.

"Course I want them!" Tonks snapped. "Just not right now. In ten years I'd have loved them. I've just started off in my career."

"You have Charlie." Gienah pointed out. "And at least you didn't get knocked up at fifteen".

Tonks looked at her sympathetically.

"Alyssandra says you're having a boy and a girl" Gienah said in a falsely cheery voice.

"I was sure they'd got it wrong" Tonks said with a smile. "The first boy in the family. Charlie's over the moon. When I told him I was being sterilized after he was moody for months before I told him the news. We're calling him Oberon."

"That's a beautiful name" Gienah smiled. "And the girl?"

"No clue." Tonks said.

"Call her Ophelia." Moody suddenly said after a pause. "Always liked tha' name."

"Say Mad-Eye" Gienah said. "How come you never married?"

Tonks coughed uncomfortably. Moody turned sharply to look at her.

"I had a fiance." He finally said, looking straight in front of him. "Murdered."

Gienah blinked.

"I'm sorry" Gienah muttered. "I shouldn't- I-"

"No need" Moody said, waving his hand. "Long time ago. I feel for you lassie I do."

"Merlin" Tonks sighed. "We're a happy bunch eh. It's Christmas! Say, Gen, where are we celebrating Christmas. Not old Grimmauld Place?"

"Most likely." Gienah frowned. "It's best for the Weasley's and we can't exactly leave them to it."

"Crikey" Tonks said. "We need to get Poppy on it. Thank the stars for Winky and Missy."

"Gienah!" Alyssandra came in from the main doors and ran towards her with her arms outstretched. "Unfortunate circumstances but merry still is the meet"

"No way" Gienah said, her eyes wide and staring at Sirius behind her.

Alyssandra's usual trim figure had a small but well formed bump protruding from her stomach.

"Surprise!" Sirius said sheepishly.

"We didn't want to bombard you with news. What with Dora and Bella-"

Gienah just shook her head in disbelief.

"It's your fault in a way" Sirius said, folding his arms.

"MY FAULT?" Gienah roared. "At this point we could begin populating a small island!"

"Gienah?" Harry said as he walked out of the ward. "Alyssand- Oh".

"Surprise" Alyssandra smiled weakly. "Look Gienah darling. I know we aren't the.. conventional family but all of us are earning and between your father and I- well, there's no point denying your father's wealth and my fortune."

"But if you and Bella and Narcissa-" Gienah began.

"Narcissa's undergone sterilization too" Tonks said. "Another pregnancy would have been harmful for her health."

"You're nowhere near as big as us anyway" Fred said with a smirk. "Don't see what you're worrying about. Though we were having a population crisis anyway."

Gienah grumbled.

"Congratulations" Mrs. Weasley said to Alyssandra nervously.

"It- I- a lot to take in is all" Gienah said.

"Completely understandable" Alyssandra said.

"Arthur's waiting dear." Mrs. Weasley said to Tonks quietly. "Sirius, Alyssandra?"

Sirius, Alyssandra, Mad-Eye and Tonks went in and closed the door of the ward behind them.

Fred raised his eyebrows.

"Fine," he said coolly, rummaging in his pockets, "be like that. Don't tell us anything."

"Looking for these?" said George, holding out what looked like a tangle of flesh-colored string.

"You read my mind," said Fred, grinning.

"Let's see if St. Mungo's puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?" He and George disentangled the string and separated five Extendable Ears from each other. Fred and George handed them around. Harry hesitated to take one.

"Go on, Harry, take it! You saved Dad's life. If anyone's got the right to eavesdrop on him, it's you."

"Okay, go!" Fred whispered. The flesh-colored strings wriggled like long skinny worms and snaked under the door.

Gienah watched the four of them wearily as Ginny sat down beside her taking Althena in her arms.

"Gienah" Ginny said quietly.

Gienah looked at Ginny.

"Why are you worried, really?"

"At this rate, it isn't normal." Gienah whispered. "Someone's going to wonder why the Black family have been so fertile in the last decade and we'll be discovered."

"What do you mean..discovered?" And Gienah missed the gleam in Ginny's eye as she asked the question.

"I- I can't tell you." Gienah sighed. "It'll bring unwanted attention. A silly prophecy is all."

"Gienah, you know you can trust me."

Green eyes met brown and Gienah felt at unease. Recalling Bellatrix's words last summer she wasn't sure that she could. But just then all four boys were staring at Harry, the Extendable Ears trailing from their ears and looking oddly fearful.

"Harry?"

Grimmauld Place was a stately townhouse. Although the corridors were narrow and the rooms few on each floor it continued endlessly up the winding stairs and the rooms were enormous. Much larger than it appeared from outside. Gienah attempted to count one day but by the seventh floor she was convinced there was an enchantment placed on the house. After the fifth floor the rooms appeared as if they'd never been inhabited.

Gienah walked past one room with a name embossed onto the door. Do Not Enter Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black. Her dead uncle. Gienah slowly pushed the door open.

Regulus's bedroom had the same sense of former grandeur all of the other rooms possessed. The Slytherin colors of emerald and silver were everywhere, draping the bed, the walls, and the windows. The Black family crest was painstakingly painted over the bed, along with its motto, TOUJOURS PUR. Beneath this was a collection of yellow newspaper cuttings, all stuck together to make a ragged collage. Gienah saw articles reporting muggle murders, the dark mark hanging over an old house, a breakout from Azkaban.

Her eyes then settled on a photograph of a Hogwarts Quidditch team was smiling and waving out of the frame. She moved closer and saw the snakes emblazoned on their chests: Slytherins. Regulus was instantly recognizable as the boy sitting in the middle of the front row: He had the same dark hair and slightly haughty look of his brother, though he was smaller, slighter, and rather less handsome than Sirius had been.

"Gineah!"

Gienah quickly folded up the collage and stuffed it in her robe pocket.

"Gienah?"

It was her dad.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius said, looking around with a dark expression.

"Exploring" Gienah smiled innocently.

Sirius sat down on the bed. A cloud of dust surrounded him and he coughed harshly.

"Can't believe I'm back here again" Sirius sighed looking around.

"It's a nice place." Gienah shrugged. "Just been neglected for too long."

"Are you still angry?" Sirius asked her with a look of genuine concern.

"No" Gienah said honestly. "I'm worried it's going to look too suspicious, someone's going to read the signs…"

"No one will know unless they know what they're looking for" Sirius assured her. "To most people they consider it a struck of luck. And Aly's always wanted a big family finding her own childhood a bit lonely, I can't deny her that."

"Of course not" Gienah agreed quickly. "Don't mind me. I just - I don't know what to make of it all. Centaurs and merchiefs bowing at my feet, prophecies in my name... "

"No one expects you to make anything of it." Sirius said.

"Professor S-" Gienah began.

"Is training you for when the time arrives." Sirius comforted her. "It isn't now."

Gienah nodded.

"Now your deatheater friend is downstairs and Hermione" Sirius said.

Gienah glared at him.

"You should show them to their rooms." Sirius chuckled. "Oh and see to Harry. He refuses to talk to me."

Gienah ran downstairs and found Hermione on the fifth floor speaking to Harry in the cupboard he'd locked himself into.

"Feeling nostalgic?" Gienah said with a smirk.

Harry narrowed her eyes and shoved her to the side and stomped down the stairs.

"That wasn't funny" Hermione snapped at her.

"It was a little" Gienah chuckled. "I can't believe they could do that to their own nephew."

Gienah followed her back to the second floor. When she entered the bedroom, she was rather surprised to see Deyanira, Harry, Ron and Ginny sitting on Ron's bed.

"We came on the Knight Bus," said Hermione airily, pulling off her jacket before Harry had time to speak. "Dumbledore told me what had happened first thing this morning, but we had to wait for term to end officially before setting off. Umbridge is already livid that you lot disappeared right under her nose, even though Dumbledore told her Mr. Weasley was in St. Mungo's and he'd given you all permission to visit. So…"

"How're you feeling?" asked Hermione.

"Fine," said Harry stiffly.

"Oh, don't lie, Harry," she said impatiently.

"Ron and Ginny say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St. Mungo's."

"They do, do they?" said Harry, glaring at Ron and Ginny.

Ron looked down at his feet but Ginny seemed quite unabashed.

"Well, you have!" she said. "And you won't look at any of us!"

"It's you lot who won't look at me!" said Harry angrily.

"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look, and keep missing each other," suggested Gienah, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Very funny," snapped Harry, turning away.

"Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood," said Hermione sharply. "Look, the others have told me what you overheard last night on the Extendable Ears -"

"Yeah?" growled Harry, his hands deep in his pockets as he watched the snow now falling thickly outside. "All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it."

"We wanted to talk to you, Harry," said Ginny, "but as you've been hiding ever since we got back -"

"I didn't want anyone to talk to me," said Harry.

"Harry you've had these dreams before," Hermione said. "You had flashes of what Voldemort was up to last year."

"This was different," said Harry, shaking his head. "I was inside that snake. It was like I was the snake… what if Voldemort somehow transported me to London —?"

"One day," said Hermione, sounding thoroughly exasperated, "you'll read Hogwarts: A History, and perhaps it will remind you that you can't Apparate or Disapparate inside Hogwarts. Even Voldemort couldn't just make you fly out of your dormitory, Harry."

"You didn't leave your bed, mate," said Ron. "I saw you thrashing around in your sleep for at least a minute before we could wake you up."

Harry seemed to relax and the five of them began talking excitedly for it was Christmas and the house was buzzing with holiday spirit. They heard Sirius tramping past their door, singing "God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs" at the top of his voice. Alyssandra joined him, laughing as he attempted to trap her under a mistletoe. Fred and George were in the living room playing Pirates with Lyra and Pandora, jumping from furniture to furniture avoiding the floor at all costs. Tonks was entertaining Cassie, Mira and Maia by making silly faces at them in one of the bedrooms and Ambrosia and Althena were crawling under the kitchen table with Andromeda following after them on all fours. Mrs. Weasley chuckled as she set the table.

Missy, Poppy and Winky had been worked tirelessly in the run-up to Christmas Day, cleaning and decorating with their help, so that by the time they all went to bed on Christmas Eve the house was barely recognisable. The tarnished chandeliers were no longer hung with cobwebs but with garlands of holly and gold and silver streamers; magical snow glittered in heaps over the threadbare carpets; a great Christmas tree, obtained by Mundungus and decorated with live fairies, blocked Sirius's family tree from view, and even the stuffed elf-heads on the hall wall wore Father Christmas hats and beards.

Gienah awoke on Christmas morning to find a stack of presents at the foot of her bed and Ginny already halfway through opening her own pile.

"Merry Christmas" Ginny smiled at her, throwing a chocolate frog her way.

Harry brought her beautiful matching silver lockets for Ambrosia and Gienah with a picture of Gienah, Ambrosia and Sirius inside. Hermione brought her a homework diary… Gienah chuckled and placed it to the side. Alyssandra had given her a framed photograph of Cedric and Gienah in the park. Cedric leaned forward and kissed her while she sat on the swing. It was terribly romantic and she couldn't help but smile. Ron had given her an enormous box of Every-Flavour Beans, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley the usual hand-knitted jumper and some mince pies.

They got up and dressed. They could hear the various inhabitants of the house calling "Merry Christmas" to one another. On their way downstairs they met Hermione. "Thanks for the book, Gienah" she said happily.

Once they had eaten their Christmas lunch, the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione were planning to pay Mr. Weasley another visit, escorted by Mad-Eye and Sirius. Mundungus turned up in time for Christmas pudding and trifle, having managed to 'borrow' a car for the occasion, as the Underground did not run on Christmas Day. Gienah and Deyanira decided to stay behind and help Mrs. Weasley, Bellatrix and Andromeda prepare Christmas dinner. Pandora, Lyra and Tonks were on one end of the table, elbow deep in gingerbread and cookie dough. Charlie and Sirius were preparing a few dozen mince pies on the other end of the table and Ted was in the living room with all the girls placed in a playpen Gienah brought Alyssandra for Christmas.

That evening they ate until their stomachs couldn't take anymore. Yet when Mrs. Weasley and Ginny brought the desserts around Gienah had two helpings of the trifle followed by several cookies decorated with faces on them. Crackers exploded and Sirius played on the piano as Alyssandra sang. They all danced and sang and laughed. It was quite possibly the best christmas to date and Ambrosia's very first.

On January the first Tonks gave birth to Oberon and Ophelia. Gienah was surprised to see they both had flaming red hair and blue eyes and wondered if they shared their older sisters gift. The entire family gathered around Tonks in the hospital and ate much cake and drank much wine. After such a joyous holiday Gienah despaired at the thought of her lonely quarters. Even Ambrosia seemed to dread saying goodbye to her many cousins, growing especially fond of Pandora.


	42. Ginny's Secret

Chapter Forty-Nine: **Trial and Error**

 **SCRIMGEOUR SUCCEEDS FUDGE**

Rufus Scrimgeour, previously Head of the Auror office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, has succeeded Cornelius Fudge as Minister of Magic. The appointment has largely been greeted with enthusiasm by the Wizarding community, though rumors of a rift between the new Minister and Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, surfaced within hours of Scrimgeour taking office.

Scrimgeour's representatives admitted that he had met with Dumbledore at once upon taking possession of the top job, but refused to comment on the topics under discussion. Albus Dumbledore is known to (ctd. page 3)

Gienah had thrown her dagger into his calf, he was weakening.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry screamed

"Protego" Gienah said lazily.

"Stupefy" Harry said with gritted teeth.

"Lapis apario! Relashio. Stupefy."

"Well… Enervate." Sirius smiled encouragingly at Harry. "You managed to hold her off a few more moments. Again."

The duel lasted two minutes.

"Non-verbal. Once more".

 **HARRY POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONE?**

Rumors continue to fly about the mysterious recent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic, during which He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was sighted once more.

 _"We're not allowed to talk about it, don't ask me anything"_ said one agitated Obliviator, who refused to give his name as he left the Ministry last night.

Nevertheless, highly placed sources within the Ministry have confirmed that the disturbance centered on the fabled Hall of Prophecy.

Though Ministry spokes wizards have hitherto refused even to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the Wizarding community believe that the Death Eaters now serving sentences in Azkaban for trespass and attempted theft were attempting to steal a prophecy. The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Harry Potter, the only person ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question. Some are going so far as to call Potter "the Chosen One," believing that the prophecy names him as the only one who will be able to rid us of He-Who-Must-No t-Be-Named.

The current whereabouts of the prophecy, if it exists, are unknown, although (ctd. page2, column 5)

"Gemini" Gienah panted.

She used the few precious seconds to bring the nearest tree down in front of her before seeing to the wounds on her leg. She managed to stop the bleeding and wrap a bandage around it before the entire tree was lit aflame.

"Merlin's sake" Gienah groaned as she stumbled back before a burning franch set her on fire too.

"Glaciem" Gienah muttered before blasting the tree into splinters of icicles and charging them at Snape. He waved his wand lazily and he was downcast in rain instead.

Gienah waved her wand and one of her bodies sprinted straight at him while she transformed into a hummingbird and flew over the clearing in the woods. Gienah changed back as he blasted the doppelganger into dust and began taking down all her doubles.

Gienah disarmed him from above, and as she fell she changed once more into an eagle and lifted him by her claws and flew him thirty feet in the air before he yelled "Mercy!"

Gienah brought him down onto the clearing and changed back, panting as she passed him his wand.

"How was I?" Gienah asked, summoning her bottle of water.

"Satisfactory" Snape nodded. "But far from perfect."

Gienah grumbled.

"I am training you so one day you could go up against Dumbledore and win." Snape said seriously. "That is no mean feat."

"But he's got decades of experience!" Gienah protested.

"And you have natural gifts girl!" Snape said frustratedly. "You will begin wandless magic this summer and before you return to Hogwarts you will duel Remus, Sirius and I single handedly. I expect you to win."

Gienah felt the blood drain from her face.

 **DEMENTOR ATTACKS MUGGLES IN SURREY**

In the early hours today dementors attacked a muggle home for the disabled leaving thirty seven bodies soulless. The muggle's have reported the story as a mass murder by a neo-fascist group. The news story took the muggle world by storm and once again the ministry urges to safeguard muggles in their area with a few simple spells. The attack is one of the latest in the South-East. Auror Kingsley comments " _The Auror Department is strained, we are running off our feet and running low on resources. We urge volunteers to join the emergency forces which will place guards in several key stations around the country to protect muggle and wizard alike. No life is safe. Dementors attack muggles and purebloods alike. I call to our nation for our brave men and women to come forward and fight."_

"DAD!" Gienah shouted from the living room. "DAAAD!"

Lupin came running in from the kitchen with his oven gloves on.

"She's walking!" Gienah clapped her hands and took the tenth picture of Ambrosia leaving Lyra's arms and walking towards her, smiling and babbling "Mama".

"And so she is." Lupin chuckled.

"She did it yesterday!" Lyra said, folding her arms. "No one made a fuss then."

"One step is not walking Lyra." Gienah said, beaming as Ambrosia reached her. "Need help in the kitchen dad?"

"I'll help!" Lyra scrambled to her feet and skipped into the kitchen.

Isla began crying.

"Merlin, the lungs on you girl" Gienah sighed, picking Isla up into her arms. "Lyra's just gone into the kitchen silly."

Gienah bounced her in her lap.

"Shall we go and see what daddy is doing Isla?" Gienah cooed. "Rosie?"

Ambrosia babbled.

"Come on then love." Gienah said, getting to her feet. "Can you walk into the kitchen Rosie?"

Gienah slowly walked towards the kitchen ushering Ambrosia to follow.

"Almost there Rosie" Gienah said. "Almost there love. Come on. Come on. Harry!"

Harry had crept up behind her and taken Ambrosia by the waist and lifted her onto his shoulders.

"Merlin's sake Harry" Gienah sighed, sitting onto the stool on the breakfast bar. "She needs to practice."

"You sound like Hermione" Harry frowned. "She's only two years old."

"Why are you here?" Gienah said.

"I'm charmed." Harry chuckled. "Do I need a reason to see my niece?"

Gienah stared at him.

"Need the library." Harry said.

"Oh what's this!" Gienah said in a mock concerned voice. "You don't mean to say you're finally starting your homework."

"Alright mother." Harry muttered. "What's for dinner Lyra?"

"Cake" Lyra grinned.

"There best be lots of it." Harry warned.

"Pasta" Lupin said.

"And then.. cake" Lyra said.

Lupin ruffled Lyra's head.

"Gen.. I was wondering if I could possibly-" Harry began.

"Nope." Gienah said firmly, taking an apple from the fruit bowl.

"Just a teeny tiny-" Harry pleaded.

"No Harry" Gienah sniffed. "You shouldn't have spent your entire holiday playing quidditch with Ron and flirting with girls in the park."

"Just one girl!" Harry said hotly.

"Ron says different." Gienah smiled.

"Has Harry got a girlfriend?" Lyra giggled.

"Gienah has a boyfriend." Harry pointed out.

"Yes, but this would be your first girlfriend unless you count Chang and I'm not counting Chang." Gienah said.

"We don't like Chang." Lyra agreed.

"What was wrong with Chang- Cho?" Harry said.

"She was a human hose pipe." Gienah said. "And she dated my boyfriend."

Harry grumbled.

"So when are we meeting her?"

"You're not." Harry said. "It was a summer fling. She's gone back to Pakistan."

"Oh, that's a shame." Gienah sighed. "Why don't you ask Parvati out again?"

"Parvati's Indian." Harry said, shaking his head. "I'm not going to try and replace her."

"Is Blaise coming for dinner?" Lyra asked.

"Yup" Gienah said.

"Yes!" Lyra grinned.

"I like Blaise too." Lupin said. "Nice boy."

"Wealthy" Harry smirked.

"It doesn't hurt" Gienah laughed.

"I want to be in Slytherin just like Blaise."

Harry blinked.

"What did she just say?" Harry said to Gienah.

"We don't support any house prejudices in this house." Gienah said sourly. "Zabini put that rule in. It's on the wall and everything."

"Looking forward to starting Hogwarts Lyra?" Lupin said to Lyra.

"Am I ever!" Lyra said, almost jumping with joy. "Dad took me shopping yesterday and brought all my school robes and a cauldron and all my books and I brought a toad too! Her names Morgana."

"Huh." Gienah said as Harry roared out laughing.

"Now Lyra, remember you're not to tell anyone about your gift." Lupin said seriously, his hand on his hip. "And if you need to transform, look around carefully to see if anyone can see you."

"Yes Uncle Remus." Lyra said in a bored voice. "You know- you're the fourth person to tell me that."

"It's important." Both Lupin and Gienah said at once.

Harry chuckled.

"Harry, take Isla for me." Gienah said as she stood up, throwing the apple core in the bin. "I think the entire Weasley family are coming tonight and you know what that means."

"Lala!" Ambrosia said as Isla sat on Harry's lap.

"Isla Rosie." Harry corrected her. "Eye- La."

"Lala, Lala!" Ambrosia said louder.

"Shall we play in the garden Rosie?" Harry said slowly. "Garden".

"Gar-den" Ambrosia said, reaching her hands out.

"Thata girl" Harry said, scooping her into his arms.

Gienah had just finished making the vegetable stock and cutting up the onions for her french onion soup when someone wrapped their arms around her waist.

"You smell like onions" Zabini said in her ear.

Gienah felt herself a little weak in the knees, how such an unromantic sentence could have an effect on her was beyond her.

"I know" Gienah sighed. "I'll have to take a shower after this."

"I'll join you." Zabini said, sitting down at the breakfast bar.

"Blaise!" Lyra said. "Yuck!"

Zabini chuckled.

"So it's the entire Weasley clan huh" he said.

"How'd you know?" Lyra said.

Zabini gestured around the kitchen. The second lasagna dish had just come out from the oven. There was a large pot simmering away for the soup and Lupin had just chopped up about thirty tomatoes for the salad.

"Oh." Lyra smiled. "I'm making cake."

"Yum" Zabini said, looking at the state of the little witch. "Chocolate?"

"Yup" Lyra said. "Chocolate and raspberry with passionfruit icecream."

"Blaise darling" Gienah said, wiping her teary eyes. "Could you set the table?"

"Sure thing." Zabini said. "Where's Pan?"

"Good thinking" Lupin said poking his head out of the kitchen. "PANDORA!"

Pandora came running down the stairs.

"Blaise!" She jumped into his arms.

"How's it going Pan?" Blaise grinned. "Wanna help set the table with me?"

Pandora nodded.

Over the next two hours their guests began to trickle into the cottage. First came Bill and Fleur bearing a large box of homemade macarons. Then Charlie with Cassiopeia, Oberon and Ophelia with a case of butterbeers. Mr and Mrs. Weasley arrived with Andromeda and Ted bringing two bottles of elves mead. Fred, George, Ron and Ginny came together through the floo and joined Harry in the garden. Missy brought the children down from the nursery at six to feed them all before the dinner party began. Tonks and Bellatrix came straight from work. Sirius, Alyssandra, Althena and the twins came last. The house was buzzing with noise. The children were being herded from the dining room to the garden with Mira and Cassie insisting they walked.

Gienah brought the bread out of the oven and began carving when Fleur dropped the news.

"Beel and I are getting married!" Fleur said to Alyssandra.

Alyssandra burst out crying and hugged Fleur.

"Congratulations darling" Alyssandra said. "Je suis si heureuse pour vous deux. De bonté ! Tant de choses à planifier."

And the two began babbling in French. Althena seemed to paying rapt attention to the two. Ayssandra insisted Althena learnt her mother tongue. Mrs. Weasley came in and the two headed to the living room, smiling and crying.

"What's wrong with those two?" Ron said.

"Fleur is engaged." Gienah said. "Not really a surprise though."

"Mum hates her." Ginny said.

"I do not hate her!" said Mrs. Weasley in a cross whisper. "I just think they've hurried into this engagement, that's all!"

"They've known each other a year," said Ron.

"Well, that's not very long! I know why it's happened, of course. Its all this uncertainty with You-Know-Who coming back, people think they might be dead tomorrow, so they're rushing all sorts of decisions they'd normally take time over. It was the same last time he was powerful, people eloping left, right, and center"

"Including you and Dad," said Ginny slyly.

"Yes, well, your father and I were made for each other, what was the point in waiting?" said Mrs. Weasley. "Whereas Bill and Fleur . . . well. . . what have they really got in common? He's a hardworking, down-to-earth sort of person, whereas she's-"

"A cow," said Ginny, nodding. "But Bill's not that down-to-earth. He's a Curse-Breaker, isn't he, he likes a bit of adventure, a bit of glamour. ... I expect that's why he's gone for Phlegm."

"Stop calling her that, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley sharply.

"Molly!" Andromeda called from the living room. "Come have a toast! Your first son's getting married! She's going to the chapel and she's - gonna get marriiied."

"Goodness" Mrs. Weasley laughed. "I think she's tipsy already!"

"You best catch up." Lupin winked.

Gienah, Lupin and Ginny brought the food into the dining room and called everyone in. It wasn't an elegant kind of dinner party. It was a Sunday dinner, surrounded by family and children tugging at their robes and plenty of butterbeer to go around.

Gienah sat near Ginny who was either a talented actress or a reformed character. Gienah didn't know what to make of it. They spent most of the summer together, studying, playing with the children.

"Have you heard from Narcissa?" Andromeda asked Alyssandra.

The end of the table went quiet as the adults waited for Alyssandra's answer.

"She- she owled me a week ago." Alyssandra sighed. "She believes it would be best to cut ties. Lucius has made his allegiance clear and she does not wish to tear her family apart. I have told her she would be welcome at the manor if she decided to change her mind."

"Like she has a say in the matter." Bellatrix snarled. "I always knew he was weak."

"Ella really" Andromeda scolded her. "Can you really talk?"

"I saw what he turned out to be Andromeda!" Bellatrix said loudly. The entire table was quiet now. "The dark lord is not interested in a better society. He is hungry for world domination."

"Yes but your view on a better society placed muggleborns firmly beneath your feet" Andromeda laughed. "Lucius wants the same.. utopia."

"How dare you?" Bellatrix said, outraged. "You have no idea the pains I've gone to pay for my mistakes."

"A doting husband and three beautiful children?" Andromeda said. "Yes, I can see how heavy a price that is."

"Andromeda" Lupin warned. "If you wish to insult my wife I request you do so in private. We have guests."

Andromeda continued to glare at her sister and then stood up and left the room.

"Sorry" Ted muttered, following his wife out the door.

"Where did that come from?" Ginny whispered.

"Aunt Ella." Lyra said softly. "Mum didn't mean any of that."

Bellatrix was staring straight ahead, her eyes glassy eyed and her face appeared to be made of stone.

"Lyra wants to be in Slytherin!" Gienah said brightly.

"Gienah!" Lyra whined. "Don't say that to a table of Gryffindors."

"Hey!" Zabini said.

"You're right to be ashamed." George said seriously. "I'm afraid if you become a Slytherin you can no longer be an honorary marauder."

"Nothing like a bit of family drama is there" Sirius said, taking another serving of lasagna.

Bellatrix stood up and left followed by Lupin.

"I think Andromeda's stressed about Narcissa." Gienah murmured to Harry."But I don't see why she'd attack Bella. She was the first to forgive her."

"It could be the recent muggle attacks" said Harry.

"There have been another couple of dementor attacks," Gienah agreed. "And they've found Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been set over it — well, really, I'm surprised he stayed alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters; Uncle Regulus, only managed a few days."

"Yes, well," said Mrs. Weasley, frowning, "perhaps we should talk about something diff—"

"Did you hear about Florean Fortescue, Remus?" asked Bill, who was being plied with wine by Fleur. "The man who ran —"

"— the ice-cream place in Diagon Alley?" Gienah interrupted, with an unpleasant, hollow sensation in the pit of his stomach. "What's happened to him?"

"Dragged off, by the look of his place."

"Why?" asked Ron, while Mrs. Weasley pointedly glared at Bill.

"Who knows? He must've upset them somehow. He was a good man, Florean."

"Talking of Diagon Alley," said Sirius, "looks like Ollivander's gone too."

"The wandmaker?" said Lyra, looking startled.

"That's the one. Shop's empty. No sign of a struggle. No one knows whether he left voluntarily or was kidnapped."

"But wands — what'll people do for wands?"

"They'll make do with other makers," said Lupin. "But Ollivander was the best, and if the other side have got him it's not so good for us."

"I was only there yesterday!" Lyra said.

"Your wand may have been one of the last wands he sold." Sirius said sadly.

After dinner Zabini took GIenah's hand and led her away from the company and out into the gardens. It was a warm starry night.

"Well that was eventful" Zabini said.

"Ha!" Gienah said.

"Mmm" Zabini said, kissing her neck. "Let's go to your bedroom."

"I'm exhausted" Gienah sighed.

"Then we'll sleep." He murmured.

Gienah said goodnight to the lingering guests and went to her bedroom. Ambrosia was asleep. Gienah changed into her nightdress. Zabini slipped into bed in his boxers and held her close as her eyes became heavy with sleep. She had missed this. The ease in the arms of a constant lover.

Zabini's hands began to wonder up her thighs, cupping her buttocks lightly and nuzzling the nape of her neck.

"Blaise." Gienah whispered.

"Gienah" Gienah could hear him smile.

His hands went further down and she gasped when his fingers pressed lightly against her. They hadn't been intimate for two weeks. Zabini had gone to Ethiopia to visit his father and in the last few days they'd gone out for dinner or to the cinema before parting ways. To sleep now felt like a wasted opportunity. Zabini disappeared under the covers and dragged her underwear down. She arched her back when his lips brushed her nether regions. He trailed his kisses to her mouth and entered her gently from behind. They were both too tired to do much more than thrust their hips. It was slow and seductive. She could feel every ridge of his length inside of her, the angle was deliciously tight. His fingers teasingly circled her clitoris and when she came the orgasm stretched out lazily as she jolted beside him. She fell asleep soon after enjoying the feel of their naked bodies moulded together.

 **WANDMAKER MISSING**

Gienah placed the Ollivander article on the blank space of wall away from her other notes and extracts. She didn't know where it fit in the grand scheme of things. So he could provide his force with the best wands? So he could make another, more powerful wand.. She was sure there was something else - more- to the story.

Gienah was sweating. The sun was beating down on her. She could feel the ground change from grass to sand.

"Professor?" Gienah called out nervously. "Can I take off the blindfold now?"

No one answered.

Gienah pulled the blindfold off and saw she was in the middle of nowhere.

"For fucks sake" Gienah swore. She expected to have walked onto a beach on the coast of Wales maybe. But she was in the middle of a dessert. Literally.. There was only sand to see for miles. Gienah then heard a snorting and turned with a cold dread.

She was facing a jabberwock, and not the tame and trained ones on the reserve. The scaly creature was looking at her with a murderous interest. Gienah ducked as it swiped its claws. Gienah twisted and fell back as it swiped again. Growing frustrated it roared and attempted to grab her with its claws.

Gienah jumped and ducked, twisted and turned but the creature was quick and savage. Gienah sent a stinging hex as it snapped its jaws. It howled and thrashed its tail and swiped its claws at the same time. The claw ripped open her back. Gienah growled and sprinted away from it but it was the fastest creature on land. Gienah stopped and waved her wand before pointing it towards the beast. A sandstorm circled the jabberwock and rose it into the sky. Unable to sustain the magic it dropped gracelessly back onto the sand. Waving its vicious head Gienah sent her dagger to its eye. It met her mark and the beast was half blinded. Blood oozed from its eye. Gienah retrieved the dagger and through it again at its open jaw. Retrieving the bloody dagger blood dripped from its biting teeth. Gienah had become unguarded however and the tail caught her unaware. The spike sunk into the side of her as she threw the dagger a third time. Gienah cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Unable to see her it thrashed dangerously right left and centre. Gienah was rolling around in the dirt her back and her sides bleeding heavily. It began to sniff her out. Gienah conjured ropes like devil's snare and trapped its claws to its side before transforming the leaves into roots digging into the ground. It was trapped.

Gienah quickly saw to her wounds. Covered in gauze she began to move forward. She had no idea where she was going. Snape had given her no direction. She guessed she had to find her way home somehow. She was still unable to apparate and the distance was daunting. Gienah transformed into a thestral and urged to find the nearest river. Three or four hours later Gienah found a stream and drank hungrily. Her stomach growled and she made a fire as she looked for some kind of creature to eat. It made her sick to catch the fish and cook it on the open fire but she needed her sustenance. Forcing the fish down she flew once more and saw a caravan speeding through the desert. Gienah sighed and followed the caravan from above. It led into a small village with no shops or floo in sight. She stopped and asked if they could spare any food. An old woman took pity on her and gave her half a loaf of bread and a lump of cheese. Gienah kept moving. Turning into a bird she soared through the scorching sky to the nearest city. Once in a small city called Al-Basra she sneaked into a house and slept in their living room for the night and drank some milk in the early hours and grabbed a few apples and pears for the rest of the day.

Gienah was sick and tired and her wounds were still raw. She cursed Snape with every step. How was she meant to find a wizarding city in the middle of the Sahara. THat evening however she finally saw the city Nouakchott from the distance and picked up her pace, landing behind a block of flats she looked for any sign of magic. She knew there was a spell to detect wizards but she did not know it so she went to the airport and came on board as a beetle in a woman's bag. Once she had arrived she scurried under the seat and fell asleep. Hours later they had arrived in London. Gienah sought out the Leaky Cauldron and flooed to the cottage.

There was no one home. Gienah flooed to the Manor and it was the same. Grimmauld Place, the Tonks, the Weasleys, the reserve. Gienah knew she was being tested but this was too far. She had slain a jabberwock, endured the Sahara and returned to an empty home. Gienah decided to brew a tracking potion but the cottage had no trace of a single stray hair. Screaming Gienah racked her brains.. wondering how she could find them. Gienah had set wards on each of the properties that would notify her with the presence of a witch or wizard. Gienah flew to Spinner's End. She'd never been but she was sure Snape would have protected his house better. Gienah was able to trip the wards and entered through the chimney as a bird. Once inside she cast homenum revelio. There were three people in the property.

Gienah felt a rush of adrenaline. Sirius, Remus and Severus. Gienah went in every room, a dagger ready in her left hand and her wand on her right.

"Come out, come out" Gienah sang.

Then Gienah heard a baby crying.

"Ambrosia!" Gienah cried and ran into the smallest bedroom and sure enough there was a baby on the bed. GIenah ran forward and went to hold the baby but as she held it it turned into dust and fell through her fingertips.

"Relashio!"

Gienah had already ducked and threw a dagger at Sirius. He cried in pain as Gienah stunned him. Gienah silently checked the room for Lupin and Snape but there was nothing. Gienah opened the door and edged near the walls to see if there was any movement.

A spell was going her way but she had prepared her shields and it refracted onto the wall. Gienah threw the dagger blindly but it seemed to have found someone. Gienah acciod the invisible person to her and removed the cloak.

Lupin.

Gienah healed his wound and stunned him. As she stood up she felt a wand poking her back.

"Drop the wand Black." Snape hissed.

Gienah didn't think. She transformed into a wasp and stung him before flying downstairs and waiting for him beneath the stairs.

She heard his steps slowly coming down.

Gienah turned as he reached the grounding and threw a stunner at him but he deflected it. Gienah blasted the bottom of the staircase. He had almost fallen but he'd stepped back. Gienah cast a fire on the top landing. It was devouring the house. She cursed as she remembered Sirius and Remus and extinguished the fire. Snape was standing by the landing, trapped. Or so she thought.

Snape jumped and fell gracefully as he slowed down in the fall. Gienah hit him with a relashio but he shielded the curse and threw a binding curse. Gienah's feet were caught.

"Vanajakshi!" Gienah screamed.

The golden cobra had been watching from around her neck in interest but she slithered down and approached the professor. Distracted she turned into a cobra and back. Free from the binds and binded the professor as he sent spell after spell at the snake finally capturing her in a cage. The binds caught him and his wand dropped. Gienah summoned it to her and put it in her pocket. She smiled at him and walked forward, releasing the snake from its prison.

"Surrender?" Gienah said sweetly.

Snape looked at her as she came closer. Something hit her hard on the head. The chandelier from the ceiling had come undone. She fell to the ground painfully and saw he'd wandlessly managed to maim her. He was struggling with his binds, cutting each bond one by one. Gienah saw two of him but she pointed her wand and stunned him as he attempted to free himself. She then fell into unconsciousness.

"You got a plane back?" Harry raised his eyebrow. "That doesn't sound particularly adventurous."

"I couldn't find a wizarding city" Gienah scowled.

They were having dinner in the Black Manor. It turned out everyone was in Hogwarts when they saw she had got on the plane.

"Nice work with the jabberwock" Sirius said sounding genuinely impressed.

"The thing with the was cruel dad." Gienah said frowning.

"You did good." Lupin said. "Now please eat. You look faint."

Tonks had revived them all a few hours ago. Snape was not happy with the state of his house but again muttered acceptable before ushering her into his fireplace.

"You need to learn to apparate kid." Sirius chuckled. "Taking a plane, ha!"

"What'll it be next time. A dragon, a nest of snakes and ten aurors." Gienah muttered as she took a mouthful of mashed potato.

To her dismay, Lupin looked at her thoughtfully as if considering it.

-ISSUED ON BEHALF OF-

The Ministry of Magic

 **PROTECTING YOUR HOME AND FAMILY AGAINST DARK FORCES**

The Wizarding community is currently under threat from an organization calling itself the Death Eaters. Observing the following simple security guidelines will help protect you, your family, and your home from attack.

1\. You are advised not to leave the house alone.

2\. Particular care should be taken during the hours of darkness. Wherever possible, arrange to complete journeys before night has fallen.

3\. Review the security arrangements around your house, making sure that all family members are aware of emergency measures such as Shield and Disillusionment Charms, and, in the case of underage family members, Side-Along-Apparition.

4\. Agree on security questions with close friends and family so as to detect Death Eaters masquerading as others by use of the Polyjuice Potion (see page 2).

5\. Should you feel that a family member, colleague, friend, or neighbor is acting in a strange manner, contact the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at once. They may have been put under the Imperius Curse (see page 4).

6\. Should the Dark Mark appear over any dwelling place or other building, DO NOT ENTER, but contact the Auror office immediately.

7\. Unconfirmed sightings suggest that the Death Eaters may now be using Inferi (see page 10). Any sighting of an Inferius, or encounter with same, should be reported to the Ministry IMMEDIATELY.

Diagon Alley had changed. The colorful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them. Most of these somber purple posters carried blown-up versions of the security advice on the Ministry pamphlets that had been sent out over the summer, but others bore moving black-and-white photographs of Death Eaters known to be on the loose. Bellatrix Lestrange was sneering from the front of the nearest apothecary. A few windows were boarded up, including those of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. On the other hand, a number of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street. The nearest one, which had been erected outside Flourish and Blotts, under a striped, stained awning, had a cardboard sign pinned to its front:

 **AMULETS** : Effective Against Werewolves, Dementors, and Infer!

A seedy-looking little wizard was rattling armfuls of silver symbols on chains at passersby.

"One for your little girl, sir?" he called at Sirius as they passed, leering at Gienah. "Protect her pretty neck?"

Sirius growled and bared his teeth.

"Sirius darling" Alyssandra sighed. "You don't growl at people. I think we'd better do Madam Malkin's first, Hermione wants new dress robes, and Harry's showing much too much ankle in his school robes, and you must need new ones too, Gienah, you've grown so much — come on, everyone —"

"Aly, it doesn't make sense for all of us to go to Madam Malkin's," said Sirius. "Why don't those three go with Hagrid, and we can go to Flourish and Blotts and get everyone's school-books?"

"I don't know," said Alyssandra anxiously, clearly torn between a desire to finish the shopping quickly and the wish to stick together in a pack. "Hagrid, do you think —- ?"

"Don' fret, they'll be fine with me," said Hagrid soothingly, waving an airy hand the size of a dustbin lid. Alyssandra did not look entirely convinced, but allowed the separation, scurrying off toward Flourish and Blotts with her husband and Ginny while Harry, Gienah, Hermione, and Hagrid set off for Madam Malkin's.

Harry noticed that many of the people who passed them had the same harried, anxious look as Mrs. Weasley, and that nobody was stopping to talk anymore; the shoppers stayed together in their own tightly knit groups, moving intently about their business. Nobody seemed to be shopping alone.

"Migh' be a bit of a squeeze in there with all of us," said Hagrid, stopping outside Madam Malkin's and bending down to peer through the window. "I'll stand guard outside, all right?"

So Harry, Gienah, and Hermione entered the little shop together. It appeared, at first glance, to be empty, but no sooner had the door swung shut behind them than they heard a familiar voice issuing from behind a rack of dress robes in spangled green and blue.

". . . not a child, in case you haven't noticed, Mother. I am perfectly capable of doing my shopping alone."

There was a clucking noise and a voice Harry recognized as that of Madam Malkin, the owner, said, "Now, dear, your mother's quite right, none of us is supposed to go wandering around on our own anymore, it's nothing to do with being a child —"

"Watch where you're sticking that pin, will you!"

A teenage boy with a pale, pointed face and white-blond hair appeared from behind the rack, wearing a handsome set of dark green robes that glittered with pins around the hem and the edges of the sleeves. He strode to the mirror and examined himself; it was a few moments before he noticed Harry, Gienah, and Hermione reflected over his shoulder. His light gray eyes narrowed.

"If you're wondering what the smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in," said Draco Malfoy.

"I don't think there's any need for language like that!" said Madam Malkin, scurrying out from behind the clothes rack holding a tape measure and a wand. "And I don't want wands drawn in my shop either!" she added hastily, for a glance toward the door had shown her Harry and Gienah both standing there with their wands out and pointing at Malfoy. Hermione, who was standing slightly behind them, whispered, "No, don't, honestly, it's not worth it. "

"Yeah, like you'd dare do magic out of school," sneered Malfoy. "Who blacked your eye, Granger? I want to send them flowers."

"That's quite enough!" said Madam Malkin sharply, looking over her shoulder for support. "Madam — please —"

Narcissa Malfoy strolled out from behind the clothes rack.

"Gienah.. Harry." Narcissa smiled. "Draco apologize to the young lady."

"Apologize?!" Malfoy said, outraged.

"You will not turn into your father Draco!" Narcissa said coldly.

"Really, it's fine" Hermione said quickly.

Narcissa was glaring at her son.

"My apologies" Malfoy muttered with difficulty.

"I think this left sleeve could come up a little bit more, dear, let me just —"

"Ouch!" bellowed Malfoy, slapping her hand away. "Watch where you're putting your pins, woman! Mother — I don't think I want these anymore —"

He pulled the robes over his head and threw them onto the floor at Madam Malkin's feet.

Narcissa sighed.

"It's good to see you both." Narcissa said, kissing Gienah on her cheek. "Send everyone my love."

Narcissa left the shop with Malfoy taking care to bang as hard as he could into Harry on the way out.

"Remember the days we spent at the manor" Gienah said sadly watching her leave. "Picnics and dinner parties."

"Barely" Harry snarled. "When did he turn into such a bastard?"

"He's always been unpleasant." Hermione said as she looked through the clothing rack. "Perhaps you brought out another side in him Gienah."

"Got ev'rything?" asked Hagrid brightly when they reappeared at his side.

"Just about," said Harry. "Did you see the Malfoys?"

"Yeah," said Hagrid, unconcerned. "Bu they wouldn' dare make trouble in the middle o' Diagon Alley, Harry. Don' worry about them."

Harry, Gienah, and Hermione exchanged looks, but before they could disabuse Hagrid of this comfortable notion, Sirius, Ginny and Alyssandra appeared clutching heavy packages of books.

"We can pop in at the Apothecary and Eeylops on the way to Fred and George's — stick close, now. . . ." Alyssandra said nervously.

Harry hadn'tbought any ingredients at the Apothecary, seeing that he was no longer studying Potions, but he did buy large boxes of owl nuts for Hedwig and Pigwidgeon at Eeylops Owl Emporium. Then they headed farther along the street in search of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the joke shop run by Fred and George.

"Whoa,"said Harry, stopping in his tracks.

Set against the dull, poster-muffled shop fronts around them, Fred and Georges windows hit the eye like a firework display. Casual passersby were looking back over their shoulders at the windows, and a few rather stunned-looking people had actually come to a halt, transfixed. The left-hand window was dazzlingly full of an assortment of goods that revolved, popped, flashed, bounced, and shrieked; Gienah's eyes began to water just looking at it. The right-hand window was covered with a gigantic poster, purple like those of the Ministry, but emblazoned with flashing yellow letters:

WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT

YOU-KNOW-WHO?

YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT

U-NO-POO-

THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION

THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!

Sirius barked out with laughter.

Gienah led the way into the shop. It was packed with customers; Gienah could not get near the shelves. She stared around, looking up at the boxes piled to the ceiling: Here were the Skiving Snackboxes that the twins had perfected during their last, unfinished year at Hogwarts; Gienah noticed that the Nosebleed Nougat was most popular, with only one battered box left on the shelf. There were bins full of trick wands, the cheapest merely turning into rubber chickens or pairs of briefs when waved, the most expensive beating the unwary user around the head and neck, and boxes of quills, which came in Self-Inking, Spell-Checking, and Smart-Answer varieties. A space cleared in the crowd, and Gienah pushed her way toward the counter, where a gaggle of delighted ten-year-olds was watching a tiny little wooden man slowly ascending the steps to a real set of gallows, both perched on a box that read: reusable hangman — spell it or he'll swing!

Hermione had managed to squeeze through to a large display near the counter and was reading the information on the back of a box bearing a highly colored picture of a handsome youth and a swooning girl who were standing on the deck of a pirate ship.

"'One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic, thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteens. You know," said Hermione, looking up at Harry, "that really is extraordinary magic!"

"For that, Hermione," said a voice behind them, "you can have one for free."

A beaming Fred stood before them, wearing a set of magenta robes that clashed magnificently with his flaming hair.

"How are you, Harry?" They shook hands.

"Come on, Harry, I'll give you a tour."

Harry left Hermione, Ginny and Gienah and followed Fred toward the back of the shop. Gienah looked at the products with pride, remembering the days they'd tested their prototypes in the Gryffindor common room.

"Haven't you girls found our special WonderWitch products yet?" asked Fred. "Follow me, ladies. . . ."

Near the window was an array of violently pink products around which a cluster of excited girls was giggling enthusiastically. Hermione, Gienah and Ginny both hung back, looking wary.

"There you go," said Fred proudly. "Best range of love potions you'll find anywhere."

Ginny raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do they work?" she asked.

"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on the weight of the boy in question —"

"— and the attractiveness of the girl," said George, reappearing suddenly at their side. "But we're not selling them to our sister," he added, becoming suddenly stern, "not when she's already got about five boys on the go from what we've —"

"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie," said Ginny calmly, leaning forward to take a small pink pot off the shelf. "What's this?"

"Guaranteed ten-second pimple vanisher," said Fred. "Excellent on everything from boils to blackheads, but don't change the subject. Are you or are you not currently going out with a boy called Dean Thomas?"

"Yes, I am," said Ginny. "And last time I looked, he was definitely one boy, not five. What are those?"

She was pointing at a number of round balls of fluff in shades of pink and purple, all rolling around the bottom of a cage and emitting high-pitched squeaks.

"Pygmy Puffs," said George. "Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough. So what about Michael Corner?"

"I dumped him, he was a bad loser," said Ginny, putting a finger through the bars of the cage and watching the Pygmy Puffs crowd around it. "They're really cute!"

"They're fairly cuddly, yes," conceded Fred. "But you're moving through boyfriends a bit fast, aren't you?"

Ginny turned to look at him, her hands on her hips. There was such a Mrs. Weasley-ish glare on her face that Harry was surprised Fred didn't recoil.

Harry, Gienah, and Hermione momentarily had an unimpeded view out of the window. Draco Malfoy was hurrying up the street alone. As he passed Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, he glanced over his shoulder. Seconds later, he moved beyond the scope of the window and they lost sight of him.

"Wonder where his mummy is?" said Harry, frowning.

"Given her the slip by the looks of it," said Gienah.

"Why, though?" said Hermione.

Gienah glanced around. Alyssandra and Ginny were bending over the Pygmy Puffs. Sirius was at the back examining a decoy detonator. Fred and George were both helping customers. On the other side of the glass, Hagrid was standing with his back to them, looking up and down the street.

"Get under here, quick," said Harry, pulling his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag. Gienah had turned into a bird and now perched on his shoulder.

"Oh — I don't know, Harry," said Hermione, looking uncertainly toward Alyssandra.

"Come on\" said Harry.

She hesitated for a second longer, then ducked under the cloak with Harry. Nobody noticed them vanish; they were all too interested in Fred and George's products. They squeezed their way out of the door as quickly as they could, but by the time they gained the street, Malfoy had disappeared just as successfully as they had.

"He was going in that direction," murmured Harry as quietly as possible, so that the humming Hagrid would not hear them. "Cmon."

They scurried along, peering left and right, through shop windows and doors, until Hermione pointed ahead.

"That's him, isn't it?" she whispered. "Turning left?"

"Big surprise," whispered Harry.

For Malfoy had glanced around, then slid into Knockturn Alley and out of sight.

"Quick, or we'll lose him," said Harry, speeding up.

"Our feet'Il be seen!" said Hermione anxiously, as the cloak flapped a little around their ankles.

"It doesn't matter," said Harry impatiently. "Just hurry!"

But Knockturn Alley, the side street devoted to the Dark Arts, looked completely deserted. They peered into windows as they passed, but none of the shops seemed to have any customers at all. Gienah supposed it was a bit of a giveaway in these dangerous and suspicious times to buy Dark artifacts — or at least, to be seen buying them.

Hermione gave Harry's arm a hard pinch.

"Ouch!"

"Shh! Look! He's in there!" she breathed in Harry's ear.

They had drawn level with Borgin and Burkes, which sold a wide variety of sinister objects. There in the midst of the cases full of skulls and old bottles stood Draco Malfoy with his back to them, just visible beyond a large black cabinet. Judging by the movements of Malfoy's hands, he was talking animatedly. The proprietor of the shop, Mr. Borgin, an oily-haired, stooping man, stood facing Malfoy. He was wearing a curious expression of mingled resentment and fear.

"If only we could hear what they're saying!" said Hermione.

"We can!" said Harry excitedly. "Hang on — damn —"

He dropped a couple more of the boxes he was still clutching as he fumbled with the largest.

"Extendable Ears, look!"

"Fantastic!" said Hermione, as Harry unraveled the long, flesh- coloured strings and began to feed them toward the bottom of the door. "Oh, I hope the door isn't Imperturbable —"

"No!" said Harry gleefully. "Listen!"

They put their heads together and listened intently to the ends of the strings, through which Malfoy's voice could be heard loud and clear, as though a radio had been turned on. Gienah flew in through the window.

". . . you know how to fix it?"

"Possibly," said Borgin, in a tone that suggested he was unwilling to commit himself. "I'll need to see it, though. Why don't you bring it into the shop?"

"I can't," said Malfoy. "It's got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it."

Gienah saw Borgin lick his lips nervously.

"Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps impossible. I couldn't guarantee anything."

"No?" said Malfoy sneering. "Perhaps this will make you more confident."

He moved toward Borgin and lifted his sleeves. Gienah couldn't see but Borgin was looking very frightened.

"Tell anyone," said Maifoy, "and there will be retribution. You know Fenrir Greyback? He's a family friend. He'll be dropping in from time to time to make sure you're giving the problem your full attention."

"There will be no need for —"

"I'll decide that," said Malfoy. "Well, I'd better be off. And don't forget to keep that one safe, I'll need it."

"Perhaps you'd like to take it now?"

"No, of course I wouldn't, you stupid, little man, how would I look carrying that down the street? Just don't sell it."

"Of course not. . . sir."

"Not a word to anyone, Borgin, and that includes my mother, understand?"

"Naturally, naturally," murmured Borgin, bowing again.

Next moment, the bell over the door tinkled loudly as Malfoy stalked out of the shop looking very pleased with himself. Gienah flew out of the shop and returned to Harry's shoulder. Inside the shop, Borgin remained frozen; his unctuous smile had vanished; he looked worried.

"What was that about?" whispered Hermione, reeling in the Extendable Ears.

"Dunno," said Harry, thinking hard. "He wants something mended . . . and he wants to reserve something in there. . . . Could you see what he pointed at when he said 'that one'?"

"You two stay here," whispered Hermione.

"What are you — ?"

But Hermione had already ducked out from under the cloak. Gienah couldn't hear a thing though she saw Hermione nervously speaking to Borgin before she hurried to the door with Borgin at her heels. As the bell tinkled again, Borgin slammed the door behind her and put up the closed sign.

"Ah well," said Harry, throwing the cloak back over Hermione. "Worth a try—"

Wizard Wheezes, where they were forced to stop so that they could dodge undetected around a very anxious-looking Allysandra and Hagrid, who had clearly noticed their absence. Once in the shop, Harry whipped off the Invisibility Cloak, hid it in his bag, and joined in with the other two when they insisted, in answer to Allysandra's accusations, that they had been in the back room all along, and that she could not have looked properly.

 **AMELIA BONES MISSING**

Celebrated Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has been reported missing by the Bones family, failing to return home one evening. Following a mysterious owl and a correspondence only her secretary was aware of Judge Bones was believed to have apparated from her home following dinner to meet her correspondent and has not been seen since. If anyone may have any information concerning the disappearance please contact the Auror Office by emergency floo.

Gienah, Harry, Lyra and Ambrosia waved goodbye to Sirius and Tonks as the train picked up pace and whistled.

"Papa!" Ambrosia was shrieking, tears falling from her eyes.

"Sweet Morgana" Gienah hissed. "She - won't - let- go".

People were walking by staring at Ambrosia and then at Harry.

"Why is everyone staring at you Harry?" Lyra asked.

Gienah finally pried her fingers from the window and stuck a dummy in her mouth to stop her crying.

"I don't know why I bother taking the train." Gienah sighed.

"Lyra" Harry said as they walked down the corridor looking for an empty compartment. "How about you go and find some friends in your year. Ron and I met on our train journey and Hermione and Gienah met on their first day."

"Ok" Lyra sighed.

"Good luck" Harry smiled and winked at her as she walked the opposite direction.

"Harry" Gienah huffed. "You take her. I've had enough. She's been moody all morning."

Harry put Ambrosia down and allowed her to trail behind him holding the hand of her raggedy Morgana doll.

"Maybe I should have considered leaving her with dad" Gienah sighed.

"Once we're back you'll have Missy." Harry stopped, placed his hands on her shoulder and reassured her. "You've spent the entire holiday with her. You deserve a break. Not even Bella or Tonks see their daughters as much as you do. You deserve a bloody award. I'm proud of you sis."

Gienah nodded with a small smile.

"Genah!"

They looked around and saw Ambrosia had walked into a carriage with Luna. Neville and Deyanira were already inside.

The weather beyond the train windows was as patchy as it had been all summer; they passed through stretches of the chilling mist, then out into weak, clear sunlight. It was during one of the clear spells, when the sun was visible almost directly overhead, that Ron and Hermione entered the compartment at last.

"Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving," said Ron longingly, slumping into the seat beside Harry and rubbing his stomach. "Hi, Neville. Hi, Luna. Deyanira. Guess what?" he added, turning to Harry. "Malfoys not doing prefect duty. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when we passed."

"What did he do when he saw you?"

"The usual," said Ron indifferently, demonstrating a rude hand gesture. "Not like him, though, is it? Well, that is" he did the hand gesture again "But why isn't he out there bullying first years?"

"Dunno," said Harry.

"Maybe he preferred the Inquisitorial Squad," said Hermione. "Maybe being a prefect seems a bit tame after that."

"I don't think so," said Gienah.

The compartment door slid open again and a breathless third-year girl stepped inside.

"I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom, Gienah Black and Harry P-Potter," she faltered, as her eyes met Harry's and she turned scarlet. She was holding out three scrolls of parchment tied with violet ribbon. Perplexed, Harry and Neville took the scroll addressed to each of them and the girl stumbled back out of the compartment.

"What is it?" Ron demanded, as Gienah unrolled his.

"An invitation," said Gienah.

 _Gienah,_

 _I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C._

 _Sincerely, H. Slughorn_

"But what does he want me for?" asked Neville nervously, as though he was expecting detention.

"No idea," said Harry.

"Well, I'm not going." Gienah said. "I stayed up all night with Isla and Rosie - this morning - wouldn't stop whining. Wouldn't even touch her breakfast. Threw all her toys at Missy and cried all the way to the station!"

Ambrosia seemed completely unaware of the state of her mother as she played on the floor with her Mogana doll.

"Am I interrupting something?" Zabini was standing by the open door smirking at her.

"Not in the mood Zabini" Gienah snapped.

Zabini took her hand and pulled her out into the corridor and shut the door before kissing her fiercely against the wall.

"Blaise" Gienah gasped.

He continued down her jaw and down to her neck, her hair twisted into a knot at the nape of her neck.

"Ugh- get a room." Malfoy said in disgust.

Gienah pushed Zabini off of her, breathless from his ministrations.

"Draco" Zabini nodded.

"Blaise" Malfoy said coolly.

Malfoy was looking at Gienah and she noticed that he'd grown taller over the summer. He was half a foot taller and his face looked more chiselled, less pointy and there was a faint trace of stubble around his jaw.

"Draco" Gienah breathed.

"Do contain your hormones Black" Malfoy said pompously. "You don't want to be lumbered with another child before you graduate."

Gienah blushed.

"Call my friends a mudblood again and I'll make sure you won't ever have children." Gienah hissed.

Zabini chuckled.

"Now, now, we're all friends here." Zabini purred.

"Friends Zabini?" Malfoy said politely.

Zabini's eyes flashed.

"Excuse me." Malfoy muttered, and walked past them. His arm brushed Gienah's.

"He doesn't mean it Blaise." Gienah said softly.

"I- I should go." Zabini said and kissed her on the cheek and followed after Malfoy.

Gienah sighed. She wondered when she'd get a bit of peace.


	43. Hall of Prophecies

Chapter Forty-Seven: **Hall of Prophecies**

Havoc wreaked in Hogwarts that day on. The story of Fred and George's flight to freedom became the stuff of Hogwarts legend. In the immediate aftermath of their departure there was a great wave of talk about copying them. Fred and George had made sure nobody was likely to forget them too soon. For one thing, they had not left instructions on how to remove the swamp that now filled the corridor on the fifth floor of the east wing.

Inspired by Fred and George's example, a great number of students were now vying for the newly vacant positions of Troublemakers-in-Chief. In spite of the new door, somebody managed to slip a hairy-snouted Niffler into Umbridge's office, which promptly tore the place apart in its search for shiny objects, leapt on Umbridge when she entered and tried to gnaw the rings off her stubby fingers. Dungbombs and Stink Pellets were dropped so frequently in the corridors that it became the new fashion for students to perform Bubble-Head Charms on themselves before leaving lessons, which ensured them a supply of fresh air, even though it gave them all the peculiar appearance of wearing upside-down goldfish bowls on their heads.

Filch prowled the corridors with a horsewhip ready in his hands, desperate to catch miscreants, but the problem was that there were now so many of them he never knew which way to turn. The Inquisitorial Squad was attempting to help him, but odd things kept happening to its members. Warrington of the Slytherin Quidditch team reported to the hospital wing with a horrible skin complaint that made him look as though he had been coated in cornflakes; Pansy Parkinson, to Hermione's delight, missed all her lessons the following day as she had sprouted antlers.

Meanwhile, it became clear just how many Skiving Snackboxes Fred and George had managed to sell before leaving Hogwarts. Umbridge only had to enter her classroom for the students assembled there to faint, vomit, develop dangerous fevers or else spout blood from both nostrils.

But not even the users of the Snackboxes could compete with that master of chaos, Peeves, who seemed to have taken Fred's parting words deeply to heart. Cackling madly, he soared through the school, upending tables, bursting out of blackboards, toppling statues and vases; twice he shut Mrs Norris inside a suit of armour. Gienah waved her wand and released Mrs. Norris with a sigh as she ripped the seal on the envelope and read the letter on her way to Potions.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _Alyssandra gave birth last night to twins. I have called the boy Regulus in memory of your uncle and Aly called the girl Aquarius. Went to an order meeting a few hours ago and mother was crying. Phineas had told her that I'd borne a son. She's decided to forgive me considering my respectable marriage. It was unbearable._

 _Love,_

 _Your father_

Harry was walking towards dinner, taking the secret passage to avoid Hermione when he was dragged into an empty classroom.

"Wha-" Harry yelped.

"Hermione's not here." Gienah said, folding her arms. "Tell me the truth."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry lied quickly.

"Just a bit further?" Gienah said, pulling herself onto the desk.

Harry refused to blink but Gienah had a command over her body Harry couldn't even imagine. She continued to look coolly back at him.

"Alright!" Harry finally shouted.

Gienah made a small sound of triumph.

"I've gone past the door-"

"Of the Department of Mysteries?"

"Yeah- I'm in a room, a circular room, then another room full of shelves, dusty glass globes-"

"The Hall of Prophecies!" Gienah said.

"Excuse me?" Harry said in confusion.

"Continue" Gienah said impatiently.

"I- I was running down row ninety-seven- so close" Harry finished with a look of frustration.

"There's a room lined with prophecies in the Department of Mysteries" Gienah finally said after a short pause. Gienah was standing and pacing at the front of the room. "There is also a time room, a death chamber among other subjects we wizards have only touched the surface of."

Harry was sitting down, listening intently.

"Have you wondered why Dumbledore is so intent upon your mastering of Occlumency?" Gienah asked Harry, a touch of annoyance in her voice.

"I- To - Voldemort may become aware of the connection and use me to spy on the Order." Harry said.

"He may also implant false memories into your mind in order to manipulate your actions and thoughts." Gienah sighed. "Why do you think your dreams in the last few months has been concerned with the Hall of Prophecies?"

"Voldemort.. is interested in prophecies" Harry said slowly.

"One particular prophecy I think" Gienah said sadly. "One prophecy concerning you and Lord Voldemort."

Harry's eyes flashed.

"In our first year Dumbledore let slip a prophecy told to him concerning you Harry." Gienah continued. "A prophecy which suggested to him you would be the one to conquer the dark lord."

Harry closed his eyes.

"Harry?"

Gienah walked tentatively to him.

"It is possible, he knows such a prophecy exists and wishes to know for himself what it contains." Gienah said. "He may try to use you to retrieve the prophecy. Bane was used and he ended up in St. Mungo's."

"But Bane attempted to steal.. the .. weapon" Harry then looked at her suddenly. "The prophecy?"

Gienah nodded.

"The prophecy can only be retrieved by the persons it speaks of." Gienah said quickly. "You and Voldemort."

"You think he wants me to get it for him?" Harry said with a frown. "Why would I?"

"Voldemort can't exactly swan into the Ministry without proving you and Dumbledore right." Gienah said. "Why would you Harry? You tell me."

"I wouldn't - even if I wanted to know what it said. I wouldn't." Harry said defiantly.

"What if-" Gienah hesitated. "It was me, or Ron, or dad down there? Would you come to rescue me Harry?"

Harry's green eyes gazed into her identical orbs.

"Without a doubt" Harry said.

"And Tom Riddle knew you would Harry", Gienah said quietly. "He barely knew you and he knew taking Ginny into the chamber would bring you to him."

"Then he's still after me?" Harry said furiously. "The weapon is me!"

"Yes and no Harry." Gienah sighed. "I believe he believes the prophecy will help conquer his one weakness. Now do you see why you must learn to close your mind?"

Harry nodded grimly.

The final match of the Quidditch season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, was to take place on the last weekend of May. Although Slytherin had been narrowly defeated by Hufflepuff in their last match, Gryffindor were not daring to hope for victory, due mainly (though of course nobody said it to him) to Ron's abysmal goal-keeping record. He, however, seemed to have found a new optimism.

'I mean, I can't get any worse, can I?' he told Gienah and Hermione grimly over breakfast on the morning of the match. 'Nothing to lose now, is there?'

'You know,' said Hermione, as she and Gienah walked down to the pitch a little later in the midst of a very excitable crowd, 'I think Ron might do better without Fred and George around. They never exactly gave him a lot of confidence.'

Luna Lovegood overtook them with what appeared to be a live eagle perched on top of her head.

'Oh, gosh, I forgot!' said Hermione, watching the eagle flapping its wings as Luna walked serenely past a group of cackling and pointing Slytherins. 'Cho will be playing, won't she?'

"Let's hope Harry doesn't get distracted." Gienah chuckled.

They found seats in the topmost row of the stands. It was a fine, clear day; Ron could not wish for better, and Gienah found himself hoping against hope that Ron would not give the Slytherins cause for more rousing choruses of 'Weasley is our King'.

Lee Jordan, who had been very dispirited since Fred and George had left, was commentating as usual. As the teams zoomed out on to the pitch he named the players with something less than his usual gusto.

'. . . Bradley . . . Davies . . . Chang,' he said.

'And they're off!' said Lee. 'And Davies takes the Quaffle immediately, Ravenclaw Captain Davies with the Quaffle, he dodges Johnson, he dodges Bell, he dodges Spinnet as well . . . he's going straight for goal! He's going to shoot - and - and - ' Lee swore very loudly. 'And he's scored.'

Gienah and Hermione groaned with the rest of the Gryffindors. Predictably, horribly the Slytherins on the other side of the stands began to sing:

'Weasley cannot save a thing

He cannot block a single ring . . .'

'Gienah,' said a hoarse voice in her ear. 'Hermione . . .'

Gienah looked round and saw Hagrid's enormous bearded face sticking between the seats. Apparently, he had squeezed his way all along the row behind, for the first- and second-years he had just passed had a ruffled, flattened look about them. For some reason, Hagrid was bent double as though anxious not to be seen, though he was still at least four feet taller than everybody else.

'Listen,' he whispered, 'can yeh come with me? Now? While ev'ryone's watchin' the match?'

'Can't it wait, Hagrid?' asked Gienah. till the match is over?'

'No,' said Hagrid. 'No, Genah, it's gotta be now . . . while ev'ryone's lookin' the other way . . . please?'

Hagrid's nose was gently dripping blood. His eyes were both blackened. Gienah had not seen him this close-up since his return to the school; he looked utterly woebegone.

'Course,' said Gienah at once, 'course we'll come.'

She and Hermione edged back along their row of seats, causing much grumbling among the students who had to stand up for them. The people in Hagrid's row were not complaining, merely attempting to make themselves as small as possible.

'I 'ppreciate this, you two, I really do,' said Hagrid as they reached the stairs. He kept looking around nervously as they descended towards the lawn below. 'I jus' hope she doesn' notice us goin'.'

'You mean Umbridge?' said Gienah. 'She won't, she's got her whole Inquisitorial Squad sitting with her, didn't you see? She must be expecting trouble at the match.'

'Yeah, well, a bit o' trouble wouldn' hurt,' said Hagrid, pausing to peer around the edge of the stands to make sure the stretch of lawn between there and his cabin was deserted. 'Give us more time.'

'What is it, Hagrid?' said Hermione, looking up at him with a concerned expression on her face as they hurried across the grass towards the edge of the Forest.

'Yeh - yeh'll see in a mo',' said Hagrid, looking over his shoulder as a great roar rose from the stands behind them. 'Hey - did someone jus' score?'

'It'll be Ravenclaw,' said Gienah heavily.

'Good . . . good . . .' said Hagrid distractedly. 'Tha's good . . .'

They had to jog to keep up with him as he strode across the lawn, looking around with every other step. When they reached his cabin, Hermione turned automatically left towards the front door. Hagrid, however, walked straight past it into the shade of the trees on the outermost edge of the Forest, where he picked up a crossbow that was leaning against a tree. When he realised they were no longer with him, he turned.

'We're goin' in here,' he said, jerking his shaggy head behind him.

'Into the Forest?' said Hermione, perplexed.

'Yeah,' said Hagrid. 'C'mon now, quick, before we're spotted!'

Gienah and Hermione looked at each other, then ducked into the cover of the trees behind Hagrid, who was already striding away from them into the green gloom, his crossbow over his arm. Gienah and Hermione ran to catch up with him.

"Hagrid" Gienah said.

"Hagrid!"

Hagrid turned.

"Are you finally taking us to the giant?" Gienah asked.

"Ya know?" Hagrid stopped in surprise. "Well of course yeh did."

"Gienah?" Hermione squeaked. "Did you say giant?"

"Let us get there firs' and I'll explain" Hagrid said.

The path was becoming increasingly overgrown and the trees grew so closely together as they walked further and further into the Forest that it was as dark as dusk. They were soon a long way past the clearing where Hagrid had shown them the Thestrals, but then Hagrid stepped unexpectedly off the path and began wending his way in and out of trees towards the dark heart of the Forest.

Gienah' whispered Hermione, fighting her way through thickly knotted brambles, over which Hagrid had stepped with ease. 'Do you mean to say Hagrid's keeping a giant in the forest?'

Gienah didn't answer.

'Bit further,' said Hagrid over his shoulder. 'C'mon, Hermione . . . we need ter keep together now.'

They were so deep in the Forest now that sometimes all Gienah could see of Hagrid in the gloom was a massive dark shape ahead of her. Any sound seemed threatening in the muffled silence. The breaking of a twig echoed loudly and the tiniest rustle of movement seemed to echo.

'Hagrid, would it be all right if we lit our wands?' said Hermione quietly.

'Er . . . all righ',' Hagrid whispered back. Tn fact - '

He stopped suddenly and turned around; Hermione walked right into him and was knocked over backwards. Harry caught her just before she hit the Forest floor.

'Maybe we bes' jus' stop fer a momen', so I can . . . fill yeh in,' said Hagrid. 'Before we ge' there, like.'

'Good!' said Hermione. They both murmured 'Lumos/' and their wand-tips ignited. Hagrid's face swam through the gloom by the light of the two wavering beams and Gienah saw again that he looked nervous and sad.

'Righ',' said Hagrid. 'Well . . . see . . . the thing is . . .'

He took a great breath.

'Well, there's a good chance I'm goin' ter be gettin' the sack any day now,' he said.

'But you've lasted this long - ' Hermione said tentatively. 'What makes you think - '

'Umbridge reckons it was me that put tha' Niffler in her office.'

"Yeh know she's bin lookin' fer a chance ter get rid of me ever since I got back. I don' wan' ter go, o' course, but if it wasn' fer . . . well . . . the special circumstances I'm abou' ter explain to yeh, I'd leave righ' now, before she's go' the chance ter do it in front o' the whole school, like she did with Trelawney'

His voice trembled and broke.

'Don' worry abou' me,' he said hastily, as Hermione made to pat his arm. He pulled his enormous spotted handkerchief from the pocket of his waistcoat and mopped his eyes with it. 'Look, I wouldn' be tellin' yer this at all if I didn' have ter. See, if I go . . . well, I can' leave withou' . . . withou' tellin' someone . . . because I'll - I'll need yeh two ter help me. An' Harry an' Ron, if their willin'.'

'Of course we'll help you,' said Hermione at once. 'What do you want us to do?'

Hagrid gave a great sniff and patted Harry wordlessly on the shoulder with such force Harry was knocked sideways into a tree.

'I knew yeh'd say yes,' said Hagrid into his handkerchief, 'but I won' . . . never . . . forget . . . well . . . c'mon . . . jus' a little bit further through here . . . watch yerselves, now, there's nettles . . .'

They walked on in silence for another fifteen minutes.

'Really easy,' he said softly. 'Very quiet, now . . .'

They crept forward and there was the giant she'd flown past a few weeks ago. Trees had been ripped up at the roots all around him, so that it stood on a bare patch of ground surrounded by heaps of trunks and boughs that formed a kind of fence or barricade, behind which Gienah, Hermione and Hagrid now stood.

'Sleepin',' breathed Hagrid.

'Hagrid,' she said in a whisper barely audible over the sound of the sleeping creature, 'who is he?'

'Hagrid, you told us - ' said Hermione, her wand now shaking in her hand, 'you told us none of them, wanted to come!'

'Well - no - he didn' want ter come,' said Hagrid, sounding desperate. 'But I had ter bring him, Hermione, I had ter!'

'But why?' asked Hermione, who sounded as though she wanted to cry. 'Why - what - oh, Hagrid!'

'I knew if I jus' got him back,' said Hagrid, sounding close to tears himself, 'an" - an' taught him a few manners - I'd be able ter take him outside an' show ev'ryone he's harmless!'

'Harmless!' said Hermione shrilly, and Hagrid made frantic hushing noises with his hands as the enormous creature before them grunted loudly and shifted in its sleep. 'He's been hurting you all this time, hasn't he? That's why you've had all these injuries!'

'He don' know his own strength!' said Hagrid earnestly. 'An' he's gettin' better, he's not fightin' so much any more -'

'So, this is why it took you two months to get home!' said Hermione distractedly. 'Oh, Hagrid, why did you bring him back if he didn't want to come? Wouldn't he have been happier with his own people?'

'They were all bullyin' him, Hermione, 'cause he's so small!' said Hagrid.

'Small?' said Hermione. 'Small?'

'Hermione, I couldn' leave him,' said Hagrid, tears now trickling down his bruised face into his beard. 'See - he's my brother!'

Hermione simply stared at him, her mouth open.

'Well - half-brother,' amended Hagrid. Turns out me mother took up with another giant when she left me dad, an' she went an' had Grawp here - '

'Grawp?' said Hermione.

'Yeah . . . well, tha's what it sounds like when he says his name,' said Hagrid anxiously. 'He don' speak a lot of English . . . I've bin tryin' ter teach him . . . anyway, she don' seem ter have liked him much more'n she liked me. See, with giantesses, what counts is producin' good big kids, and he's always been a bit on the runty side fer a giant - on'y sixteen foot - '

'How did you get him back without anyone noticing?' said Gienah.

'Well, tha's why it took so long, see,' said Hagrid. 'Could on'y travel by nigh' an' through wild country an' stuff. Course, he covers the ground pretty well when he wants ter, but he kep' wantin' ter go back.'

'Oh, Hagrid, why on earth didn't you let him!' said Hermione, flopping down on to a ripped up tree and burying her face in her hands. 'What do you think you're going to do with a violent giant who doesn't even want to be here!'

'Well, now - "violent" - tha's a bit harsh,' said Hagrid, still twisting his hands agitatedly. 'I'll admit he mighta taken a couple o' swings at me when he's bin in a bad mood, but he's gettin' better, loads better, settlin' down well.'

'So, what is it you want us to do?' Hermione as-ked apprehensively.

'Look after him,' said Hagrid croakily. 'After I'm gone.'

'What - what does that involve, exactly?' Hermione enquired.

'Not food or anythin'!' said Hagrid eagerly. 'He can get his own food, no problem. Birds an' deer an' stuff . . . no, it's company he needs. It I jus' knew someone was carryin on trym ter help him a bit . . . teachin' him, yeh know.'

Grawp looked strangely misshapen. His head was much larger in proportion to the body than a human head, and was almost perfectly round and covered with tightly curling, close-growing hair the colour of bracken. The rim of a single large, fleshy ear was visible on top of the head, which seemed to sit directly upon the shoulders with little or no neck in between. The back, under what looked like a dirty brownish smock comprised of animal skins sewn roughly together, was very broad; and as Grawp slept, it seemed to strain a little at the rough seams of the skins. The legs were curled up under the body. Gienah could see the soles of enormous, filthy, bare feet, large as sledges, resting one on top of the other on the earthy Forest floor.

'You want us to teach him,' Gienah said with a sad smile. Harry had told them Firenze's message. His attempt was not working.

'Yeah - even if yeh jus' talk ter him a bit,' said Hagrid hopefully. "Cause I reckon, if he can talk ter people, he'll understand more that we all like 'im really, an' want 'im ter stay.'

Harry looked at Hermione, who peered back at him from between the fingers over her face.

"Why didn't you take him back to the reserve Hagrid" Gienah sighed.

"Sirius is busy enough with the order." Hagrid said shaking his head.

"He would have helped." Gienah said. "You know he would've."

"Will yer do it?" Hagrid asked, no, pleaded.

"Of course I will" Gienah smiled. "But I'm writing to dad. It isn't good for him, being confined like this in a forest. The mountains will be better suited."

'I knew I could count on yeh, Gen,' Hagrid said, beaming in a very watery way and dabbing at his face with his handkerchief again. 'An' I don' wan' yeh ter put yerself out too much, like . . . I know yeh've got exams . . . if yeh could jus' nip down here in yer Invisibility Cloak maybe once a week an' have a little chat with 'im. I'll wake 'im up, then - introduce yeh - '

'Wha- no!' said Hermione, jumping up. 'Hagrid, no, don't wake him, really, we don't need - '

But Hagrid had already stepped over the great tree trunk in front of them and was proceeding towards Grawp. When he was about ten feet away, he lifted a long, broken bough from the ground, smiled reassuringly over his shoulder at Gienah and Hermione, then poked Grawp hard in the middle of the back with the end of the bough.

The giant gave a roar that echoed around the silent Forest; birds in the treetops overhead rose twittering from their perches and soared away. He placed an enormous hand upon it to push himself on to his knees. He turned his head to see who and what had disturbed him.

'All righ', Grawpy?' said Hagrid, in a would-be cheery voice, backing away with the long bough raised, ready to poke Grawp again. 'Had a nice sleep, eh?'

Hermione retreated as far as they could while still keeping the giant within their sights. Grawp knelt between two trees he had not yet uprooted. They looked up into his startlingly huge face that resembled a grey full moon swimming in the gloom of the clearing. It was as though the features had been hewn on to a great stone ball. The nose was stubby and shapeless, the mouth lopsided and full of misshapen yellow teeth the size of half-bricks; the eyes, small by giant standards, were a muddy greenish-brown and just now were half-gummed together with sleep. Grawp raised dirty knuckles, each as big as a cricket ball, to his eyes, rubbed vigorously, then, without warning, pushed himself to his feet with surprising speed and agility.

'Oh my!' Gienah heard Hermione squeal, terrified, beside her.

The trees to which the other ends of the ropes around Grawp's wrists and ankles were attached creaked ominously. He was, as Hagrid had said, at least sixteen feet tall. Gazing blearily around, Grawp reached out a hand the size of a beach umbrella, seized a bird's nest from the upper branches of a towering pine and turned it upside-down with a roar of apparent displeasure that there was no bird in it; eggs fell like grenades towards the ground and Hagrid threw his arms over his head to protect himself.

'Anyway, Grawpy,' shouted Hagrid, looking up apprehensively in case of further falling eggs, 'I've brought some friends ter meet yeh. Remember, I told yeh I might? Remember, when I said I might have ter go on a little trip an' leave them ter look after yeh fer a bit? Remember that, Grawpy?'

But Grawp merely gave another low roar; it was hard to say whether he was listening to Hagrid or whether he even recognised the sounds Hagrid was making as speech. He had now seized the top of the pine tree and was pulling it towards him, evidently for the simple pleasure of seeing how far it would spring back when he let go.

'I got company for yeh!' Hagrid shouted. 'Company, see! Look down, yeh big buffoon, I brought yeh some friends!'

'Oh, Hagrid, don't,' moaned Hermione, but Hagrid had already raised the bough again and gave Grawp's knee a sharp poke.

The giant let go of the top of the tree, which swayed alarmingly and deluged Hagrid with a rain of pine needles, and looked down.

This,' said Hagrid, hastening over to where Harry and Herrmone stood, 'is Gienah, Grawp! Gienah Black! She migh' be comin' ter visit yeh if I have ter go away, understand?'

The giant had only just realised that Gienah and Hermione were there. They watched as he lowered his huge boulder of a head so that he could peer blearily at them.

'An' this is Hermione, see? Her-' Hagrid hesitated. Turning to Hermione, he said, 'Would yeh mind if he called yeh Hermy, Hermione? On'y it's a difficult name fer him ter remember.'

'No, not at all,' squeaked Hermione.

'This is Hermy, Grawp! An' she's gonna be comin' an' all! Is'n' tha' nice? Eh? Two friends fer yeh ter - GRAWPY, NO!'

Grawp's hand had shot out of nowhere towards Hermione; Gienah seized her and pulled her backwards behind the tree, so that Grawp's fist scraped the trunk but closed on thin air.

'BAD BOY, GRAWPY!' they heard Hagrid yelling, as Hermione clung to Gienah behind the tree, shaking and whimpering. 'VERY BAD BOY! YEH DON' GRAB - OUCH!'

Gienah saw Hagrid lying on his back, his hand over his nose. Grawp, apparently losing interest, had straightened up and was again engaged in pulling back the pine as far as it would go.

'Righ',' said Hagrid thickly, getting up with one hand pinching his bleeding nose and the other grasping his crossbow, 'well . . . there yeh are . . . yeh've met him an' - an' now he'll know yeh when yeh come back. Yeah . . . well . . .'

He looked up at Grawp, who was now pulling back the pine with an expression of detached pleasure on his boulderish face; the roots were creaking as he ripped them away from the ground.

'Well, I reckon tha's enough fer one day,' said Hagrid. 'We'll - 'er - we'll go back now, shall we?'

Gienah frowned. But then she supposed he wasn't going to do any better with bigger and meaner giants in his company.

At last they rejoined the path and, after another ten minutes, the trees began to thin; they were able to see patches of clear blue sky again and, in the distance, the definite sounds of cheering and shouting.

'Was that another goal?' asked Hagrid, pausing in the shelter of the trees as the Quidditch stadium came into view. 'Or d'yeh reckon the match is over?'

'I don't know,' said Hermione miserably. Gienah saw that she looked much the worse for wear; her hair was full of twigs and leaves, her robes were ripped in several places and there were numerous scratches on her face and arms.

'I reckon it's over, yeh know!' said Hagrid, still squinting towards the stadium. 'Look - there's people comin' out already - if yeh two hurry yeh'll be able ter blend in with the crowd an' no one'll know yeh weren't there!'

'Good idea,' said Gienah.

'I don't believe him,' said Hermione in a very unsteady voice, the moment they were out of earshot of Hagrid. 'I don't believe him. I really don't believe him.'

'Calm down,' said Gienah.

'Calm down!' she said feverishly. 'A giant! A giant in the Forest! And we're supposed to give him English lessons! I - don't - believe - him!'

'We haven't got to do anything yet!' Gienah tried to reassure her in a quiet voice, as they joined a stream of jabbering Hufflepuffs heading back towards the castle. 'He's not asking us to do anything unless he's gone and that might not even happen.'

'Oh, come off it, Gienah!' said Hermione angrily, stopping dead in her tracks so that the people behind had to swerve to avoid her. 'Of course he's going to be chucked out and, to be perfectly honest, after what we've just seen, who can blame Umbridge?'

There was a pause in which Gienah glared at her, and her eyes filled slowly with tears.

'You didn't mean that,' said Gienah quietly.

'No . . . well . . . all right . . . I didn't,' she said, wiping her eyes angrily. 'But why does he have to make life so difficult for himself - for us?'

'Weasley is our King,

Weasley is our King,

He didn't let the Quaffle in,

Weasley is our King . . .'

'And I wish they'd stop singing that stupid song,' said Hermione miserably, 'haven't they gloated enough?'

A great tide of students was moving up the sloping lawns from the pitch.

'Oh, let's get in before we have to meet the Slytherins,' said Hermione.

'Weasley can save anything,

He never leaves a single ring,

That's why Gryffindors all sing:

Weasley is our King.'

'Hermione . . .' said Gienah slowly.

The song was growing louder, but it was issuing not from a crowd of green-and-silver-clad Slytherins, but from a mass of red and gold moving slowly towards the castle, bearing a solitary figure upon its many shoulders.

'Weasley is our King,

Weasley is our King,

He didn't let the Quaffle in,

Weasley is our King . . .'

'No?' said Hermione in a hushed voice.

YES!' said Gienah loudly.

GIENAH! HERMIONE!' yelled Ron, waving the silver Quidditch cup in the air and looking quite beside himself. 'WE DID IT! WE WON!'

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _I've returned from my travels for a week to see Isla. Did Bella tell you? She has my hair, my eyes.. She's beautiful. Benjamin and I are going to Denmark next. For now I'm enjoying looking after my girls. I never dreamed- I feel very unfortunate indeed. I love you very much._

 _Your father_

The castle grounds were gleaming in the sunlight as though freshly painted; the cloudless sky smiled at itself in the smoothly sparkling lake; the satin green lawns rippled occasionally in a gentle breeze. June had arrived, but to the fifth-years this meant only one thing: their OWLs were upon them at last.

Their teachers were no longer setting them homework; lessons were devoted to revising those topics the teachers thought most likely to come up in the exams. The purposeful, feverish atmosphere drove nearly everything but the OWLs from Gienah's mind.

They received their examination timetables and details of the procedure for OWLs during their next Transfiguration lesson.

'As you can see,' Professor McGonagall told the class as they copied down the dates and times of their exams from the blackboard, 'your OWLs are spread over two successive weeks. You will sit the theory papers in the mornings and the practice in the afternoons. Your practical Astronomy examination will, of course, take place at night."

'Please, Professor,' said Hermione, her hand in the air, 'when will we find out our results?'

'An owl will be sent to you some time in July,' said Professor McGonagall.

Gienah, Harry, Ron and Hermione had additional exams in the first week of June. GCSE's. All their coursework complete, and half their science and maths exams out of the way all of their exams had come at once.

Their first examination, Theory of Charms, was scheduled for Monday morning.

Dinner was a subdued affair that night. Gienah did not talk much, but ate with gusto, having studied hard all day. Hermione, on the other hand, kept putting down her knife and fork and diving under the table for her bag, from which she would seize a book to check some fact or figure.

It was an uncomfortable sort of an evening. Everyone was trying to do some last-minute revising but nobody seemed to be getting very far. Gienah spent the night in the library. By midnight only her, Hermione and Zabini were left, writing practice papers and flicking through notes.

"Gienah" Hermione whispered.

"Hmm" Gienah responded, writing down another science equation.

"Zabini keeps looking at you." Hermione whispered, nodding her head to his direction.

Gienah looked and sure enough Zabini was looking straight at him. He didn't falter when their eyes met, only returned to his notes.

Once breakfast was over, the fifth- and seventh-years milled around in the Entrance Hall while the other students went off to lessons; then, at half past nine, they were called forwards class by class to re-enter the Great Hall, which had been rearranged; the four house tables had been removed and replaced instead with many tables for one, all facing the staff-table end of the Hall where Professor McGonagall stood facing them. When they were all seated and quiet, she said, 'You may begin,' and turned over an enormous hour-glass on the desk beside her, on which there were also spare quills, ink bottles and rolls of parchment.

Gienah turned over his paper, his heart thumping hard - three rows to his right and four seats ahead Hermione was already scribbling - and lowered his eyes to the first question: a) Give the incantation and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly.

Gienah had a fleeting memory of a club soaring high into the air and landing loudly on the thick skull of a troll . . . smiling slightly, she bent over the paper and began to write.

The fifth-years ate lunch with the rest of the school (the four house tables had reappeared for the lunch hour), then they trooped off into the small chamber beside the Great Hall, where they were to wait until called for their practical examination. As small groups of students were called forwards in alphabetical order, those left behind muttered incantations and practised wand movements, occasionally poking each other in the back or eye by mistake.

When they reached the top of the Astronomy Tower at eleven o'clock, they found a perfect night for stargazing, cloudless and still. The grounds were bathed in silvery moonlight and there was a slight chill in the air. Each of them set up his or her telescope and, when Professor Marchbanks gave the word, proceeded to fill in the blank star-chart they had been given.

As Gienah completed the constellation Orion on her chart, however, the front doors of the castle opened directly below the parapet where she was standing, so that light spilled down the stone steps a little way across the lawn. Gienah glanced down as she made a slight adjustment to the position of her telescope and saw five or six elongated shadows moving over the brightly lit grass before the doors swung shut and the lawn became a sea of darkness once more.

Gienah put her eye back to his telescope and refocused it, now examining Venus. She looked down at her chart to enter the planet there, but something distracted her; pausing with her quill suspended over the parchment, she squinted down into the shadowy grounds and saw half a dozen figures walking over the lawn. If they had not been moving, and the moonlight had not been gilding the tops of their heads, they would have been indistinguishable from the dark ground on which they walked. Even at this distance, Gienah had a funny feeling she recognised the walk of the squattest of them, who seemed to be leading the group.

Gienah could not think why Umbridge would be taking a stroll outside after midnight, much less accompanied by five others. She heard a distant knock which echoed through the deserted grounds, followed immediately by the muffled barking of a large dog.

There were lights on in Hagrid's windows and the people she had observed crossing the lawn were now silhouetted against them. The door opened and she distinctly saw six sharply defined figures walk over the threshold. The door closed again and there was silence.

Gienah felt very uneasy. She glanced around to see whether anyone had noticed what she had, but Professor Marchbanks came walking behind her at that moment and, not wanting to look as though she was sneaking looks at anyone else's work, Gienah hastily bent over her star-chart and pretended to be adding notes to it while really peering over the top of the parapet towards Hagrid's cabin. Figures were now moving across the cabin windows, temporarily blocking the light.

She could feel Professor Marchbanks's eyes on the back of his neck and pressed his eye again to his telescope, staring up at the moon though he had marked its position an hour ago, but as Professor Marchbanks moved on she heard a roar from the distant cabin that echoed through the darkness right to the top of the Astronomy Tower. Several of the people around Gienah ducked out from behind their telescopes and peered instead in the direction of Hagrid's cabin.

Professor Tofty gave another dry little cough.

"Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls,' he said softly.

Most people returned to their telescopes. Gienah looked to her left. Hermione was gazing transfixed at Hagrid's cabin.

'Ahem - twenty minutes to go,' said Professor Tofty.

Hermione jumped and returned at once to her star-chart; GIenah looked down at her own and noticed that she had mis-labelled Venus as Mars. She bent to correct it.

There was a loud BANG from the grounds. Several people cried 'Ouch!' when they poked themselves in the face with the ends of their telescopes as they hastened to see what was going on below.

Hagrid's door had burst open and by the light flooding out of the cabin they saw him quite clearly, a massive figure roaring and brandishing his fists, surrounded by six people, all of whom, judging by the tiny threads of red light they were casting in his direction, seemed to be attempting to Stun him.

'No!' cried Hermione.

'My dear!' said Professor Tofty in a scandalised voice. This is an examination!'

But nobody was paying the slightest attention to their star-charts any more. Jets of red light were still flying about beside Hagrid's cabin, yet somehow they seemed to be bouncing off him; he was still upright and still, as far as Gienah could see, fighting. Cries and yells echoed across the grounds; a man yelled, 'Be reasonable, Hagrid!'

Hagrid roared, 'Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!'

Gienah could see the tiny outline of Fang, attempting to defend Hagrid, leaping repeatedly at the wizards surrounding him until a Stunning Spell caught him and he fell to the ground. Hagrid gave a howl of fury, lifted the culprit bodily from the ground and threw him; the man flew what looked like ten feet and did not get up again. Hermione gasped, both hands over her mouth; Gienah looked round at Harry and saw that he, too, was looking scared. None of them had ever seen Hagrid in a real temper before.

'Look!' squealed Parvati, who was leaning over the parapet and pointing to the foot of the castle where the front doors had opened again; more light was spilling out on to the dark lawn and a single long black shadow was now rippling across the lawn.

'Now, really!' said Professor Tofty anxiously. 'Only sixteen minutes left, you know!'

But nobody paid him the slightest attention: they were watching the person now sprinting towards the battle beside Hagrid's cabin.

'How dare you!' the figure shouted as she ran. 'How dare you!'

'It's McGonagall!' whispered Hermione.

'Leave him alone! Alone, I say!' said Professor McGonagall's voice through the darkness. 'On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such - '

Hermione, Parvati and Lavender all screamed. The figures around the cabin had shot no fewer than four Stunners at Professor McGonagall. Halfway between cabin and castle the red beams collided with her; for a moment she looked luminous and glowed an eerie red, then she lifted right off her feet, landed hard on her back, and moved no more.

'Galloping gargoyles!' shouted Professor Tofty, who also seemed to have forgotten the exam completely. 'Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behaviour!'

'COWARDS!' bellowed Hagrid; his voice carried clearly to the top of the tower, and several lights flickered back on inside the castle. 'RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THAT - AN' THAT - '

'Oh my - ' gasped Hermione.

Hagrid took two massive swipes at his closest attackers; judging by their immediate collapse, they had been knocked cold. Gienah saw Hagrid double over, and thought he had finally been overcome by a spell. But, on the contrary, next moment Hagrid was standing again with what appeared to be a sack on his back - then Harry realised that Fang's limp body was draped around his shoulders.

'Get him, get him!' screamed Umbridge, but her remaining helper seemed highly reluctant to go within reach of Hagrid's fists; indeed, he was backing away so fast he tripped over one of his unconscious colleagues and fell over. Hagrid had turned and begun to run with Fang still hung around his neck. Umbridge sent one last Stunning Spell after him but it missed; and Hagrid, running full-pelt towards the distant gates, disappeared into the darkness.

There was a long minute's quivering silence as everybody gazed open-mouthed into the grounds. Then Professor Tofty's voice said feebly, 'Um . . . five minutes to go, everybody.'

Though she had only filled in half of her chart, Gienah was desperate for the exam to end. When it came at last she, Harry, Ron and Hermione forced their telescopes haphazardly back into their holders and dashed back down the spiral staircase. None of the students were going to bed; they were all talking loudly and excitedly at the foot of the stairs about what they had witnessed.

'That evil woman!' gasped Hermione, who seemed to be having difficulty talking due to rage. Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!'

'She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's,' said Ernie Macmillan sagely, squeezing over to join them.

'Hagrid did well, didn't he?' said Ron, who looked more alarmed than impressed. 'How come all the spells bounced off him?'

'It'll be his giant blood,' said Hermione shakily. 'Its very hard to Stun a giant, they're like trolls, really tough . . . but poor Professor McGonagall . . . four Stunners straight in the chest and she's net exactly young, is she?'

'Dreadful, dreadful,' said Ernie, shaking his head pompously. 'Well, I'm off to bed. Night, all.'

Gienah said goodbye to Hermione as she walked down the corridor to her rooms. Yawning she changed into her nightdress and went to see to Ambrosia. Gienah smiled as she saw her little girl was awake.

"What are you doing awake baby?" Gienah whispered, picking her up.

Ambrosia yawned.

Gienah chuckled and snuggled next to her in her own bed singing her a lullaby Lupin used to sing to her when she was little.

" _How I missed her, how I missed her_

 _How I missed my Clementine_

 _Till I kissed her little sister_

 _And forgot my Clementine_

 _Oh, my darling, oh, my darling_

 _Oh, my darling Clementine_

 _You are lost and gone forever_

 _Dreadful sorry, Clementine"_

Ambrosia fell asleep by the third verse but Gienah sang on, watching her breathe.

" _Clementine_ " Gienah finished with a yawn, kissed her daughter's cheek and was soon fast asleep too.

Their final exam, History of Magic, was not to take place until that afternoon. The fifth-years entered the Great Hall at two o'clock and took their places in front of their face-down examination papers. Gienah felt exhausted.

Turn over your papers,' said Professor Marchbanks from the front of the Hall, flicking over the giant hour-glass. 'You may begin '

Gienah stared fixedly at the first question. In your opinion, did wand legislation contribute to, or lead to better control of, goblin riots of the eighteenth century? Gienah smiled and picked up her quill and began to write fluidly. All around her quills were scratching on parchment like scurrying, burrowing rats. The sun was very hot on the back of her head. Gienah was almost through with the paper with half an hour left to spare. Finishing the last sentence she put her quill down with a sigh when she heard a yell behind her.

Harry had hit the ground, yelling and clutching his scar.

Gienah ran over to him.

"Harry!" Hermione called him.

Harry was sweating as he opened his eyes. Professor Tofty hobbled over and reached to pull him up.

"Hospital wing I think dear boy" He said as he and Gienah helped him out of the Great Hall. "I'll be quite alright young lady. Return to your exams, I'll see to him."

"I've finished sir" Gienah said quickly. "I can take him.

"I'm not going . . . I don't need the hospital wing . . . I don't want . . ."

He was gibbering as they reached the Entrance Hall with the students all around them staring.

"I'm - I'm fine, sir,' Harry stammered, wiping the sweat from his face. 'Really . . . I just fell asleep . . . had a nightmare . . .'

'Pressure of examinations!' said the old wizard sympathetically, patting Harry shakily on the shoulder. 'It happens, young man, it happens! Now, a cooling drink of water, and perhaps you will be ready to return to the Great Hall? The examination is nearly over, but you may be able to round off your last answer nicely?"

'Yes,' said Harry wildly. 'I mean . . . no . . . I've done - done as much as I can, I think . . ."

'Very well, very well,' said the old wizard gently. 'I shall go and collect your examination papers and I suggest that you go and have a nice lie down.'

'I'll do that,' said Harry, nodding vigorously. 'Thanks very much.'

"What happened?" Gienah whispered, but Harry dragged her with him, running to the hospital wing. They entered the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey was holding a spoon of bright blue potion beside a reluctant looking Slytherin.

'Potter, what do you think you're doing?'

'I need to see Professor McGonagall,' gasped Harry, the breath tearing his lungs. 'Now . . . it's urgent!'

'She's not here, Potter,' said Madam Pomfrey sadly. 'She was transferred to St Mungo's this morning. Four Stunning Spells straight to the chest at her age? It's a wonder they didn't kill her.'

'She's . . . gone?' said Harry, shocked.

The bell rang just outside the dormitory and he heard the usual distant rumbling of students starting to flood out into the corridors above and below him. He remained quite still, looking at Madam Pomfrey.

Harry left the Hospital Wing in a daze, Gienah following him before he quietly said 'Voldemorts got Sirius.'

Gienah felt her heart racing.

"Harry" she said weakly. "He wants you to- I told you-"

'I dunno how,' said Harry. 'They're at the end of row ninety-seven . . . he's trying to use Sirius to get whatever it is he wants from in there . . . he's torturing him . . . says he'll end by killing him!'

Harry found his voice was shaking, as were his knees.

"We need to find Hermione and Ron" Gienah said, offering him her hand.

The two of them ran down the stairs and to the entrance hall, trying to see through the jubilant crowd.

"Harry!" Ron called from behind them.

They ran to them.

"We need to talk somewhere private.." Gienah said, leading them through to an empty classroom.

Harry told Harry and Ron what he'd told Gienah.

"We need to get to the ministry", Harry finished impatiently.

'Harry,' said Hermione in a rather frightened voice, 'er . . . how . . . how did Voldemort get into the Ministry of Magic without anybody realising he was there?'

'How do I know?' bellowed Harry. The question is how we're going to get in there!'

'But . . . Harry, think about this,' said Hermione, taking a step towards him, 'its five o'clock in the afternoon . . . the Ministry of Magic must be full of workers . . . how would Voldemort and Sirius have got in without being seen?'

'I dunno, Voldemort used an Invisibility Cloak or something!' Harry shouted. 'Anyway, the Department of Mysteries has always been completely empty whenever I've been - '

'You've never been there, Harry,' said Hermione quietly. 'You've dreamed about the place, that's all.'

'They're not normal dreams!' Harry shouted in her face, standing up and taking a step closer to her in turn. 'How d'you explain Ron's dad then, what was all that about, how come I knew what had happened to him?'

'He's got a point,' said Ron quietly, looking at Hermione.

'But this is just - just so unlikely!' said Hermione desperately.

Gienah leaned against the wall, watching the three of them quarrel.

'OK,' she said, looking frightened yet determined, 'I've just got to say this - '

'What?'

'You . . . this isn't a criticism, Harry! But you do . . . sort of . . . I mean - don't you think you've got a bit of a - a - saving-people thing?' she said.

He glared at her.

'And what's that supposed to mean, a "saving-people thing"?' Harry spat out.

'Well . . . you . . .' she looked more apprehensive than ever. 'I mean . . . last year, for instance . . . in the lake . . . during the Tournament . . . you shouldn't have . . . I mean, you didn't need to save that little Delacour girl . . . you got a bit . . . carried away . . .'

'I mean, it was really great of you and everything,' said Hermione quickly, looking positively petrified at the look on Harry's face, 'everyone thought it was a wonderful thing to do -I'm trying to say - Voldemort knows you, Harry! He took Ginny down into the Chamber of Secrets to lure you there, it's the kind of thing he does, he knows you're the - the sort of person who'd go to Sirius's aid! What if he's just trying to get you into the Department of Myst - ?'

'Hermione, it doesn't matter if he's done it to get me there or not - they've taken McGonagall to St Mungo's, there isn't anyone from the Order left at Hogwarts who we can tell, and if we don't go, Sirius is dead!'

"Harry" Gienah finally spoke. "Hermione is perfectly right and you know it. You're a Gryffindor to a fault. If Voldemort has become aware of your connection he may well be using Sirius to get you to enter the ministry and retrieve the prophecy."

"We don't know it it's an empty threat!" Harry screamed.

"Yes we do" Gienah smiled grimly. "If Voldemort is there, her wouldn't need you or dad. And besides, Professor Snape remains in Hogwarts."

Harry stared.

"Of course!" Hermione almost laughed.

THe four of them ran down into the dungeons and knocked on Snape's door.

"Enter." Snape called.

Gienah led them inside.

"Why, if it isn't my four favourite Gryffindor's" Snape sneered.

"Drop the act Severus" Gienah rolled her eyes. "Harry has had another.. vision. He believes Sirius is being tortured by Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries. I am convinced it's an empty threat but if they are setting a trap for Harry I think it would be worth paying a little visit to London."

Snape stood up and looked out of his window for a few seconds before saying slowly "Gienah, go to the Manor, find Sirius and go straight to the Ministry. I will contact the headmaster."

"What about us?" Harry asked quickly.

"You may go with Gienah."

"We aren't being left here." Hermione said hotly.

"You will hold your tongue girl. The headmaster will summon the entire order. You would be a hindrance."

Hermione flushed.

Gienah made to open the door but it was sealed. Gienah pointed at the lock with her wand - nothing. Gienah stepped back and finally "Bombarda!"

"What on earth-" Harry muttered, trying the door again.

Hermione screamed.

Gienah turned, her wand at the ready.

Snape had been blasted against the wall, several bottles fell on him, a few broke, others clearly had a charm placed on them as they bounced on the stone floor. Gienah backed onto the wall and looked around, her eyes adjusting, as her eagle turned an amber brown.

Ron and Harry had their wands drawn, looking nervously around them. Hermione was tending to Snape who was unconscious and bleeding.

Ron suddenly dropped to the floor, hit by a stunning spell.

Gienah pointed rapidly at the direction the spell came from and sent a quick tripping jinx. Gienah heard a scuffle and pounced on the floor. Gienah was grappling with something underneath her which was putting up quite a fight. Harry watched with his wand limp in his hand as she saw a visible fist fly out and strike Gienah. Gienah growled and pinned the half invisible figure to the ground before pulling at something. Harry recognized his cloak and then -

"Deyanira?"

"FUCK!" Deyanira screamed as Gienah twisted her arm with a satisfied smirk. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME GEN!"

"Then you best talk quickly" Gienah whispered.

"Snape.. he's a spy." Deyanira said nervously. "He would have alerted the death eaters."

"He's a spy for the order" Gienah tutted. "You're telling me you know something about the order?"

"Yes- Ginny- Ginny told me when the school was convinced I was Rookwood's daughter"

Gienah let her go.

"Why did you stun Ron?"

"I wanted to speak to Harry alone" she grumbled, warn him alone.

"Do you believe her?" Hermione said nervously.

"Only one way to find out" Gienah shrugged, wrapping Deyanira in ropes, smiling grimly at her before she hissed "Leglimens".

Gienah knew a shielded mind when she saw one. She had attempted to tear down Snape's walls in her practice sessions. Deyanira's protections were almost as well fortified.

"What interests me" Gienah said softly "is how a girl brought up in a muggle orphanage mastered occlumency in mere months of entering the wizarding world."

"Mastered what?" Deyanira said, looking at Harry.

"She may be a natural occlumens." Hermione said, her voice took the tone she used in the classroom.

"I don't trust her." Gienah said tersely. "She stole Harry's cloak. How do you even know he had an invisibility cloak?"

"Ur- she saw me use it in the last DA lesson." Harry said with a sheepish smile.

"Ginny told me she was worried, she overheard you saying something about your father in the hospital wing" Deyanira said, struggling to get out of her bonds. "I want to come with you. Isn't he being tortured?"

Harry ran to the door and found that it opened.

"We're running out of time." Harry said looking at his watch. "It's almost eight".

"We need to see if Sirius is at the manor." Hermione said.

"None of the floo's are connected." Harry frowned. "Unless-"

"No" Hermione said firmly. "Not again. You get caught and we'll never get to the ministry."

"We could create another diversion" Deyanira suggested.

"I could go to Hogsmeade" Gienah said. "Find out from there, I'll set the galleon to Halloween if he isn't there."

"How are you-" Hermione began.

"I'll fly there."

"Fly?" Deyanira raised an eyebrow. "Someone will see you on a broomstick".

Gienah ignored her.

"Gather the D. A. incase he isn't and we'll set off for London."

"How do you plan to get to London exactly?" Hermione said, looking more and more nervous.

"Thestrals." Gienah smiled.

"Great!" Deyanira said. "Can someone release me please."

"I still don't trust her." Gienah said. "You're coming with me. Hermione, take the professor to the hospital wing. Harry gather the members in the Room of Requirement. If anyone's patrolling on the seventh floor Ron- "

"Enervate" Gienah sighed. "Ron, you're on guard on the seventh floor. Take this" Gienah threw the invisibility cloak at him as he stirred. "See anyone patrolling IS or Filch, stun them, stow them in the Room of Requirement."

"And Umbridge?"

"I doubt she'll be alone or unguarded." Gienah hesitated.

"Leave her to me" Hermione said thoughtfully.

Gienah released Deyanira of her bonds and urged her to follow her as she hurried out of the dungeons.

"Black?"

Gienah saw Zabini walking down the stairs.

"What are you doing-"

Hermione had just left the dungeons with Snape levitating behind her and ran past her followed by Harry and then Ron.

"In a hurry Zabini" Gienah said with a polite smile. "If you'll excuse me.."

"What the hell Black" Zabini whispered, following her as she ran up the marble staircase.

"Mind your own business" Gienah hissed. Deyanira was following closely behind them.

Zabini grabbed her arm and pinned her to the wall. Deyanira hovered a few steps below them.

"You're up to something." Zabini said quietly, his dark eyes boring into hers. "Off to fight a basilisk? Duel a dragon? Rescue a werewolf?"

"What do you care?" Gienah snarled. "We've barely spoken two words to each other. do you pretend my welfare is some concern of yours?"

"I believe I have a duty-" Zabini began.

"Duty?" Gienah snorted. "Isn't your area in power, self-preservation, ambition-"

"There you go with your prejudiced opinion of me Black" Zabini sneered. "Like you said, we've barely spoken and you think you have the measure of me. I believe you have a duty to your daughter. That it is in your best interest to stay away from danger and keep yourself alive. Take a leaf out of Slytherin's book. There is no dignity in a premature death and certainly no security."

"Let go of me" Gienah hissed. He was a mere inch away from her. She could smell him he was so close.

Zabini hesitated, and his eyes flickered to her mouth. Gienah was fixated by his eyes, dark and evasive.

"My father.. " Gienah found herself speaking what she thought.

"Your father?" Zabini urged her.

"My father is in danger" Gienah breathed, pushing him off of her.

"Fine" Zabini spat. "I'm coming with you."

"What!" Deyanira said.

Gienah ignored her and continued to run up the stairs and onto the third floor corridor.

"Dissendium" Gienah whispered, and she squeezed through the passageway and ran through the dark tunnel. Gienah could hear Zabini and Rookwood behind her. When they appeared in the basement Gienah looked around from the back door and saw the shop empty.

"No wonder you strut around the school like you're the missing member of Charlie's Angels." Zabini murmured, picking up a chocolate frog from a box by the staircase.

"You watch TV?" Gienah said in surprise.

"What did I tell you about your preconceived ideas Black" Zabini sighed.

Gienah opened the door and left it slightly ajar as she hurried to the Three Broomsticks. Unable to trust Deyanira, she pulled her in after her and unable to trust Gienah, Zabini went after her.

"Lupin Cottage!" Gienah said.

"Gienah!" Bellatrix came running forward.

"Bellatrix Lestrange?" Zabini said in disbelief. "What the hell Black?!"

"Shut up!" Gienah said. "Bella, where's Sirius?"

"Alyssandra just dumped her children with me and Winky." Bella said looking extremely peeved and tired. Her hair was a mess, she was holding one baby in her arm and had two others in their bouncers behind her crying. "Sirius hasn't turned up since his guard duty last night. What is going on Gienah!?"

"I'm sorry Bella, you have to stay here." Gienah said as she pulled Zabini and Deyanira back into the fireplace and returned to the Three Brromsticks.

"You have a fugitive in your house?" Deyanira said quietly. "Wasn't Bellatrix Lestrange in love with Voldemort."

"Morgana" Gienah sighed as she fumbled with the galleon. "I have a hell of an oblivating job to do after this."

"Like hell you're meddling with my mind Black!"

They ran back through the tunnel and straight to the seventh floor. Zabini and Rookwood were panting behind her as they came onto the seventh floor. Gienah paced in front of the Room but it was empty.

Gienah felt a strange sense of foreboding. She ran to Umbridge's office and found several members of the IS hexed or stunned.

"Harry and Hermione have led her into the forest" Ron said from behind her, his lip was bleeding but other then that the DA seemed to have got the better of the Slytherins.

Gienah groaned.

"Let's go!" Gienah yelled as she passed half of the DA loitering the corridor.

"You heard her."

Luna, Ron, Zabini, Deyanira, Neville, Creevey, Seamus, Lavender and the Parvati twins followed after her. As they sprinted through the Entrance Hall where Filch was mopping the floors he stared open mouthed as they ran past him and into the grounds.

"STUDENTS OUT OF B-"

Neville stared as he saw Filch collapse over his bucket.

"I did it!" Neville said looking around. "I did it!"

Luna took his hand and pulled him along to catch up with the rest.

"Merlin" Gienah said as she turned at the edge of the forest. "Why are there so many of you?"

Most of them shrugged, Zabini folded his arms. Gienah rolled her eyes at him.

"Stay here." Gienah said. "I'll see where they are."

Gienah turned into a centaur as she ran through the forest. She had a strong suspicion they were with Grawp. Gienah stopped when she heard a familiar scream. Music to her ears on any other day but if the hag was in danger…

"Gienah?"

"Harry" Gienah sighed. "We need to go! What happened to Umbridge?"

"She ur- insulted the centaurs." Hermione frowned. "I hope she's alright."

"Now isn't really the time Hermione" Harry said.

"Let's go." Gienah said, showing them the way out.

At the edge of the forest Gienah began making screeching noises, much like Hagrid had in their first lesson. A few thestrals appeared.

"There are four of them." Gienah lied. "You can't all come with us."

Luna glared at her.

"Harry, Ron and Hermione." Gienah said loudly before anyone could point out there were in fact five. "We'll see you at breakfast." Gienah said as she climbed onto one of the thestrals.

"We'll see you at breakfast?" Zabini repeated after her. "You need work on your lines."

"This isn't a TV show Zabini!" Gienah said in frustration seeing eight pair of eyes looking at her sourly.

"I know" Zabini said as he climbed onto the thestral behind her. To her annoyance Luna, Deyanira and Neville did exactly the same thing.

"Ministry of Magic, London" Gienah murmured in her friend's ear.

Soon the four remaining students were blots in the landscape. They were up and away.

"Why couldn't we have flooed?" Zabini grumbled half way through the journey. Gienah felt increasingly uncomfortable with the way Zabini held her around the waist. Part of the discomfort was that she had missed this kind of physical contact and found herself leaning into his embrace.

"The floos are monitored." Gienah said. "We already raised suspicion with you two coming along with me to the cottage let around eight of us going to the Ministry at this hour."

"Hmph" Blaise said, and rested his head on her shoulder. Gienah attempted to explain letting him because of the cold, or exhaustion at the lateness of the hour. In reality it was a warm pleasant kind of night and Gienah was feeling completely awake. Gienah had no idea why she felt guilty as she looked down at his large tanned hands around her waist and the musky scent tickling her nose. She found herself daydreaming about how he had pinned her against the wall, his lips a few millimetres away from hers, how much she had missed being touched and kissed and…

"Black" Zabini whispered in her ear. She had fallen asleep and her head was resting against his hard chest. "We're here."


	44. The Battle at Dawn

Chapter Forty-Eight: **The First Battle**

Gienah dialled six two four four two on the telephone; as it whirred back into place the cool female voice sounded inside the box.

'Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business.'

'Harry Potter, Gienah Black, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Ron Weasley, Deyanira Rookwood and…(Harry looked at him and nonplussed said) Blaise Zabini,' Harry said, 'We're here to save someone, unless your Ministry can do it first!'

'Thank you,' said the cool female voice. 'Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes.'

Three badges slid out of the metal chute where returned coins normally appeared. Harry scooped them up and handed them mutely around. Gienah read Gienah Black, Rescue Mission on hers before pinning it to her chest.

'Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wands for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium.'

'Fine!' Harry said loudly, as his scar gave another throb. 'Now can we move?'

The floor of the telephone box shuddered and the pavement rose up past its glass windows; the scavenging Thestrals were sliding out of sight; blackness closed over their heads and with a dull grinding noise they sank down into the depths of the Ministry of Magic.

The Atrium seemed completely empty. The light was dimmer than it had been by day; there were no fires burning under the mantelpieces set into the walls, but as the lift slid smoothly to a halt she saw that golden symbols continued to twist sinuously in the dark blue ceiling.

'The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening,' said the woman's voice.

The door of the telephone box burst open; Harry toppled out of it, closely followed by Neville and Luna. The only sound in the Atrium was the steady rush of water from the golden fountain, where jets from the wands of the witch and wizard, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat and the house-elf's ears continued to gush into the surrounding pool.

'Come on', said Gienah quietly and the eight of them sprinted off down the hall, Gienah in the lead, past the fountain towards the desk where the watch wizard who weighed wands had sat, and which was now deserted.

Gienah felt sure there ought to be a security person there, sure their absence was an ominous sign, and her feeling of foreboding increased as they passed through the golden gates to the lifts. She pressed the nearest 'down' button and a lift clattered into sight almost immediately, the golden grilles slid apart with a great, echoing clanking and they dashed inside. Gienah stabbed the number nine button; the grilles closed with a bang and the lift began to descend, jangling and rattling. The cool female voice said, 'Department of Mysteries,' and the grilles slid open. They stepped out into the corridor where nothing was moving out but the nearest torches, flickering in the rush of air from the lift.

Gienah turned towards the plain black door.

'Let's go,' she whispered, and she led the way down the corridor, Luna right behind her, gazing around with her mouth slightly open.

'OK, listen,' said Harry, stopping again within six feet of the door. 'Maybe . . . maybe a couple of people should stay here as a - as a lookout, and - '

'And how're we going to let you know something's coming?' asked Deyanira, her eyebrows raised. 'You could be miles away.'

'We're coming with you, Harry,' said Neville.

'Let's get on with it,' said Ron firmly.

Gienah still did not want to take them all with her, but it seemed she had no choice. She turned to face the door and walked forwards.

They were standing in a large, circular room. Everything in here was black including the floor and ceiling; identical, unmarked, handleless black doors were set at intervals all around the black walls, interspersed with branches of candles whose flames burned blue; their cool, shimmering light reflected in the shining marble floor made it look as though there was dark water underfoot.

'Someone shut the door,' Harry muttered.

Without the long chink of light from the torchlit corridor behind them, the place became so dark that for a moment the only things they could see were the bunches of shivering blue flames on the walls and their ghostly reflections in the floor.

There were around a dozen doors. Then there was a great rumbling noise and the candles began to move sideways. The circular wall was rotating. Gienah groaned.

Hermione grabbed Harry's arm as though frightened the floor might move, too, but it did not. For a few seconds, the blue flames around them were blurred to resemble neon lines as the wall sped around; then, quite as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling stopped and everything became stationary once again.

'What was that about?' whispered Ron fearfully.

'I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came in through,' said Deyanira in a hushed voice.

'How're we going to get back out?' said Neville uncomfortably.

'Well, that doesn't matter now,' said Harry forcefully, 'we won't need to get out till we've found Sirius - '

'Don't go calling for him, though!' Hermione said urgently; but Harry had never needed her advice less, his instinct was to keep as quiet as possible.

'Where do we go, then, Harry?' Ron asked.

"I think a few of us should wait here." Deyanira said quietly. "If Alyssandra is here as well then we'll need a lookout."

"But you said-" Harry started.

"We're in now" Deyanira said. "We'll split up in pairs. Me and Zabini will stay here as lookout."

"You and Neville can stay as lookouts" Zabini said coolly.

Deyanira scowled.

"Alright! Harry said. "Deyanira, Neville stay in this room. Luna come with me. Ron go with Hermione. Gienah with Zabini."

"Harry" Gienah whined.

"You brought him" Harry accused her. "You can keep an eye on him".

Harry marched straight at the door now facing him, Luna followed him as he set his left hand against its cool, shining surface, raised his wand ready to strike the moment it opened, and pushed.

It swung open easily.

"Through here" Zabini said, selecting the door on the right. Gienah followed him through the doorway and it too opened effortlessly.

This room was larger than the last, dimly lit and rectangular, and the centre of it was sunken, forming a great stone pit some twenty feet deep. They were standing on the topmost tier of what seemed to be stone benches running all around the room and descending in steep steps like an amphitheatre. There was a raised stone dais in the centre of the pit, on which stood a stone archway that looked so ancient, cracked and crumbling that Gienah was amazed the thing was still standing. Unsupported by any surrounding wall, the archway was hung with a tattered black curtain or veil which, despite the complete stillness of the cold surrounding air, was fluttering very slightly as though it had just been touched.

Gienah scrambled down the benches one by one until she reached the stone bottom of the sunken pit. Her footsteps echoed loudly as she walked slowly towards the dais. The pointed archway looked much taller from where she now stood than it had when she'd been looking down on it from above. Still the veil swayed gently, as though somebody had just passed through it.

"The chamber of death" Gienah murmured.

Gienah thought the archway had a kind of beauty about it, old though it was. The gently rippling veil intrigued her; she felt a very strong inclination to climb up on the dais and walk through it.

'Someone's whispering behind there,' she said, moving out of his reach and continuing to frown at the veil.

"I thought we were looking for your father" Came Blaise's bored voice.

"Right", Gienah muttered, and looked at Zabini standing by the door. Before she left she took one last look at the archway.

"Neville!"

Neville was lying on the floor, pale and lifeless. Gienah shook him.

"What's wrong with him?" Gienah said to Zabini.

"There's a heartbeat" Zabini said, dropping his wrist.

"Deyanira" Gienah growled. She looked around and saw an firy X on one of the doors but nothing else.

"The Gryffindor everyone thinks is Rookwood's daughter?" Zabini said.

"How do you know she isn't" Gienah said, trying another door and finding it locked. "I wouldn't trust her as far as I can throw her."

"Didn't you invite her over for Christmas?" Zabini asked, as he opened another door.

"How would you know who I invited to my home Zabini?" Gienah asked testily.

"Ginny told me." Zabini said.

"And why is Ginny telling you who we spent Christmas with?" Gienah said, genuinely surprised as she opened yet another door and finally found the exit.

"We'll leave him out here for the time being." Gienah said. "We need to find Deyanira."

"So Ginny?" Gienah asked as they went through another door.

Gienah had walked into a narrow room with a large tapestry on one side and shelf after shelf filled with strange objects.

"Time turners" Zabini said. "Incredible."

"The tapestry of time!" Gienah yelled as she stepped back to see the tapestry made of fine bronze thread. There are frays… here and here. Look their patching them up. Containing the butterfly effect… Imagine if it frayed the entire tapestry."

"I thought it was a myth." Zabini said, feeling the tapestry under his fingertips.

"Can you feel the magic running off it" Gienah said, pressing her ear to the tapestry. "They say the tapestry itself is but a map. To fix the threads you need to travel to the time itself."

"I can hear a thrumming" Zabini whispered.

Gienah stepped back from the tapestry. She turned and held one of the time turners in her hands. it was heavy in her hand, heavier than it looked.

"Zabini" Gienah whispered. "We could go back in time and warn Sirius before he disappears".

"Black" Zabini warned her, stepping towards her. "Meddling in time isn't like waving a wand."

Zabini gently took her hand and placed the time turner back on the shelf. She noticed his fingers lingered on hers.

"We're going to find him" Zabini said, his large hands cupping hers. He was so much taller than her she noticed as she tilted her head to look into his dark eyes. Gienah saw his eyes were on her lips again. The pad of his thumb was drawing down to her lips, pulling her bottom lip ever so slightly apart.

"You are frustratingly kissable" Zabini said as if he was observing the fumes of a potion for class. "Did you know that?"

Gienah shook her head.

"What?" Zabini chuckled, his head bowed down so his lips were closer to hers. "No cutting remark Black?"

Zabini's hands were nowhere near her cheeks. She hadn't even noticed they'd moved to her waist and down her back. Gienah stepped backwards, but there wasn't any room. She was pressed against the tapestry, against the eery magical drumming.

"I've liked you for such a long time Black" Zabini continued his ministrations with his hands. "But you never noticed me. Not while you and Draco were flirting. Not while you glared at Pansy."

"Flirting?" Gienah managed to breathe.

"Don't act innocent" Zabini said, an edge to his voice now. "He fancies you. He always has. Then you got knocked up by a Hufflepuff. He knew he couldn't ever have you. His father wouldn't approve."

"I highly doubt that." Gienah said, she was speaking to his lips, well formed and soft and..

"What if I told you he told me?" Zabini continued. His fingers now touching the bare skin above the waistband of her jeans. "And as the loyal friend I am I stayed away."

"Zabini" Gienah said right before she gasped because he had hoisted her up, placing her legs around his waist and kissing her desperately on the mouth. Tongue, teeth, lips. It was nothing like she'd felt before. She groaned with pleasure. It had been far, far too long.

His hands were under her jumper. Her hands were in his curly hair, then his shoulders, then his jaw. She felt his hands circling back, urgently pulling her bra down. Gienah stopped kissing him to watch him pull her jumper off her, scatter the buttons of her shirt and then rip her favourite white lace bra all the while looking hungrily at her and her legs wrapped in painful need around her. He didn't smile, or frown, or moan. He looked at her like he looked at his books. With a thoughtful expression, a studious fashion. A little withdrawn. But his eyes were darker, like pools of ink. They betrayed his want. Gienah gasped as he touched her nipple between his thumb and his forefinger. A flash of satisfaction passed his handsome features as he watched the delicious o shape she made with her mouth.

"I rather like the idea of fucking you in the Time Room." Zabini said in all seriousness.

Gienah whimpered as he stroked her upper thigh.

"Would you like that Black?" Zabini asked, again as if he was asking her opinion on the properties of frogs legs or monkshood.

Gienah was completely and utterly disgusted at her carnal desire. All rational thought seemed to fade at his touch and all she could think was yes. Merlin yes.

Zabini seemed to have heard her screaming consent, because he dropped her gracelessly and promptly took his clothes off. Standing before her a demi-god. Chiselled and golden. Really this man was perfection. She had heard of his mother's beauty and could now fully appreciate her allure.

Zabini offered her his hand and pulled her up. She watched her muscle ripple at the movement. Not that he was muscular, but lean enough to notice. He kneeled between her feet and Gienah felt a pleasure between her legs that had lied dormant for months. He unzipped her jeans and dragged them down. He then used his teeth to undress her white lace panties. It was so primitive.

Gienah almost collapsed as his mouth came back to her sex. He stared for a while and licked his lips. It was an erotic gesture. She needn't any words before he slowly placed his nose near her clitoris and inhaled. For the first time he groaned. The miniscule touch had left her weak in her knees. Zabini began to dart his tongue in and out of her, his hands stroking her behind. Gienah was on an edge of an orgasm when he looked up at her, leaned back and placed his arms behind his head. He was smirking.

Gienah growled and placed her hands on either side of his head and bit him hard on his neck.

"That's going to leave a mark" Zabini murmured.

Gienah was feeling overwhelmed by the unsatisfied pulsing inside of her and impatiently grabbed his hard length as she slowly brought herself down on him.

"Merlin" Zabini said, biting his lip, his eyes heavy with desire. Gienah was incredibly tight. She hadn't had sex for a year. Zabini felt as if he'd entered a furnace of pleasure and when she began to thrust back and forth, he was convinced he'd died from pleasure. Ginny had never felt so fulfilling. Gienah felt complete and every time she brought herself back up felt an immediate loss and sank herself down again. Zabini held her hips and moved his in time with her thrusts watching her bouncing the entire time.

"Blaise" Gienah hissed as her walls collapsed around him and wave after wave radiated from the wonderful friction inside of her. She could feel him shudder underneath her as he came after her, she was dripping with both their fluids.

Zabini had closed his eyes in a look of peaceful content before dragging her down on top of him. Her hair splayed around his chest. Their naked forms entwined in the dimly lit room. Gienah then began to feel cold and attempted to move away from him but she kept her in place.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

"To get dressed- to- fuck they're all out there and dad and Neville and that shifty bitch Deyanira", Gienah said as she began to get dressed, her bra a lost cause.

"Oh yeah" Zabini said, sitting up with a frown on his face. "Well, I wish I could be more romantic but would you like to go out with me this summer?"

"Seriously?" Gienah asked in disbelief.

"Seriously" Zabini said, looking up at her in half her clothes and her hair dishevelled.

"No." Gienah said firmly.

Zabini blinked.

"What?"

"No" Gienah repeated. "I have a daughter and FUCK we didn't even use a contraceptive charm!"

"I did."

"Stupid stupid boy" Gienah said hitting his bare chest with her fists. "It doesn't matter, I'll be pregnant anyway because my life is a huge suckfest. Congratulations, you're going to be a father."

"Then marry me" Zabini shrugged. "Always thought Diggory missed his window with you."

"Is that the Zabini solution to everything?" Gienah said incredulously, repairing her shirt with her wand. "Marriage?"

"Would you look beyond my house and my surname for two seconds" Zabini said calmly, beginning to dress himself. "And will you calm down. It's been like fifteen minutes."

"There are death eaters out there!" Gienah screamed.

Zabini cursed.

"You didn't tell me that!"

"Who did you think we were rescuing?" Gienah screeched.

"Right, ok" Zabini stood up and waved his wand, and dressed the rest of himself and grabbed her hand. "We can sort the wedding out afterwards."

Gienah placed an X on the time room and looked around her. She seized another door and flung it open. There was an excruciating light emitting from the hallway. Gienah ran forward, not pausing to look at the strange objects and the crystal jar to the door behind it. Gienah pushed. It swung open. Her wand stretched out before her she entered a place high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty glass orbs. They glimmered dully in the light issuing from more candle-brackets set at intervals along the shelves. Like those in the hallway behind them, their flames were burning blue. The room was very cold. She heard voices echoing around them.

'RUN!' Gienah ran forward as she heard Harry's voice and the crashing of glass on the marble floor. She followed the sound of the voices and saw Harry sprinting towards her. Gienah stood there to see the cloaked figured behind Hermione when Zabini grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards the door. Harry slammed the door once she'd come through.

'Colloportus!' gasped Hermione and the door sealed itself with an odd squelching noise.

'Where - where are the others?' gasped Harry.

"What happened?" Gienah said looking around at Harry, Hermione and Luna.

Harry lifted his hand and showed her the prophecy in his hand.

"Wonderful" Gienah rolled her eyes. "Why'd you take it when I specifically warned you!"

"Never mind now!" Hermione snapped, walking down the hallway.

Back at the circular hallway they saw two death eaters dueling… Deyanira?

"What on earth" Gienah groaned.

She entered the mayhem, ducking from a stray curse and saw the exit door wide open and more entering, joining the duel.. all of them students. Members of the DA.

"Merlin's sake" Gienah hissed. "Fred, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you to Gen" George said, pulling her out of the way of another curse. "Your welcome."

A jet of red light hit the nearest Death Eater; he fell backwards; the second Death Eater, however, had leapt aside to avoid Gienah's spell and was pointing his own wand at Hermione, who was crawling out of the door they'd just come through, injured.

'Avada -'

Gienah launched herself across the floor and grabbed the Death Eater around the knees, causing him to topple and his aim to go awry. Luna pointed her wand wildly at the struggling pair, she cried 'EXPELLIARMUS!'

Both her and the Death Eater's wands flew out of their hands and soared back towards the entrance to the Hall of Prophecy.

"Wonderful" Gienah muttered, leaping at the death eater running to fetch his wand. Zabini blinked. One second he saw his fiance the next there was an eagle pecking out the eyes of a death eater.

'Get out of the way, Harry!' yelled Deyanira, she took aim again and shouted 'STUPEFY!'

The jet of red light flew right over the Death Eaters shoulder and hit a glass-fronted cabinet on the wall full of variously shaped hour-glasses; the cabinet fell to the floor and burst apart, glass flying everywhere, sprang back up on to the wall, fully mended, then fell down again, and shattered - ' The blind death eater was crawling on the floor but someone had stunned him.

The eagle continued to attack, scratching death eaters that were gaining on their opponent, pecking them in their faces. Gienah saw her wand and transformed back and began duelling with ease. Watching her was like watching a dance. One fell, she turned to another. Bowed at them before she slashed and twirled. But there were two on one now. They were coming closer.

'STUPEFY!' screamed Hermione, who had just caught up with them. The jet of red light hit one Death Eater in the middle of his chest: he froze, his arm still raised, his wand fell to the floor with a flatter and he collapsed backwards. Gienah elegantly turned the other to ice and pushed the sculpture towards the last death eater in the room. He screamed as he was crushed against the door. Gienah stunned him in case he was still conscious and then turned her wand to Deyanira.

"Urm Gienah?" Deyanira said nervously. "Are you testing me again?"

"What?" Gienah spat.

"Constant vigilance?" Deyanira asked, darting her eyes between Harry and Hermione.

"Gienah, we can deal with her later!" Hermione said. "Where's Ron and Neville?"

"Neville's out there but-"

Another door opened.

"Fuck" Gienah swore and led everyone into another room. It refused to open. Gienah closed her eyes and roared. The dragon fire melt the door knob and the door allowed her entrance.

"Through here!" Gienah screamed. There were about nine of them. As the last person came in Gienah roared again, stopping the last death eater coming nearer and locked the door once more.

"Sirius!" Hermione screamed.

Gienah turned. They were in a large room and on the floor was Sirius and Alyssandra lying on the floor, crumpled like dolls. They were sleeping, but this wasn't any kind of ordinary sleep.

"The draught of living death" Gienah murmured. "We need to get them out of here."

"We'll do it." George said.

"You'll need a diversion" Lee said with a grin.

Gienah looked around, there were other doors in the room. They were surely interlinked.

"Let's split up." Gienah said. "We need to find Ron and then get the hell out of here. If anyone finds him set the galleon to Valentines Day."

They all nodded. Gienah left for the door straight ahead of her followed by Luna and Zabini. Gienah locked the door behind her and saw a smiling death eater, his hood fell from his head.

"Move aside and I won't kill you my pretty" Dolohov said sweetly. His face looked grotesque. He was pale and burly. Gienah rolled her eyes and disarmed him, but he dodged easily and laughed. Luna was struck down. Gienah hissed and threw a stinging charm at him, followed by a slashing hex. He shielded them easily.

Zabini ran forward and began duelling with an art only purebloods possessed. Pretty, quaint but not dirty. He played by the rules and there wasn't any in this arena. The room was filled with children's toys. Train tracks and stuffed toys, balloons and coloured boxes. It was eery. Gienah ran to Luna and saw she had only been paralyzed. The death eaters were playing nice for some reason. Gienah spoke the counter-curse and saw Luna's grey eyes blink dreamily up at her. Gienah smiled.

"Hey sleeping beauty" Gienah smiled.

Luna quickly got up and looked around for her wand. Gienah turned her eyes to the death eater and saw Zabini was bleeding. Running forward to animated the dolls to attack. Dolohov began attacking the china dolls, now larger than life and looking murderous. Zabini stumbled and Luna caught him before he fell to the ground. Gienah smiled grimly and animated the stuffed toys. Dolohov was surrounded.

"I think we can move on." Gienah said, taking another door and locking the one behind. There was a baby headed deatheater wailing in a room full of toppled grandfather clocks and overturning desks, bawling and confused.

"Creepy" Zabini said, staring at the baby.

"Come one" Gienah said.

They went through the door and saw they had returned to the hallway. Harry was standing alone and glancing at the doors. The door of the room swung shut behind them and the walls began to rotate once more. The fiery crosses had faded from the doors.

'So which way d'you reck-?'

But before they could make a decision as to which way to try, a door to their right sprang open and three people fell out of it.

'Ron!' croaked Harry, dashing towards them. 'Deyanira - are you all - ?'

'Harry,' said Ron, giggling weakly, lurching forwards, seizing the front of Harry's robes and gazing at him with unfocused eyes, 'there you are . . . ha ha ha . . . you look funny, Harry . . . you're all messed up . . .'

Ron's face was very white and something dark was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Next moment his knees had given way, but he still clutched the front of Harry's robes, so that Harry was pulled into a kind of bow.

'Deyanira?' Gienah said fearfully. 'What happened?'

But Deyanira shook her head and slid down the wall into a sitting position, panting and holding her ankle.

'I think her ankle's broken, I heard something crack,' whispered Hermione, who was bending over her and who alone seemed to be unhurt. 'Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets; it was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark - '

'Harry, we saw Uranus up close!' said Ron, still giggling feebly. 'Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus - ha ha ha - '

A bubble of blood grew at the corner of Ron's mouth and burst.

' - anyway, one of them grabbed Deyanira's foot, I used the Reductor Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but . . .'

Hermione gestured hopelessly at Deyanira, who was breathing in a very shallow way, her eyes still closed.

'And what about Ron?' said Harry fearfully, as Ron continued to giggle, still hanging off the front of Harry's robes.

'I don't know what they hit him with,' said Hermione sadly, 'but he's gone a bit funny, I could hardly get him along at all.'

'Harry,' said Ron, pulling Harry's ear down to his mouth and still giggling weakly, 'you know who this girl is, Harry? She's Loony . . . Loony Lovegood . . . ha ha ha . . .'

'We've got to get out of here,' said Harry firmly. 'Luna, can you help Deyanira?'

'Yes,' said Luna, sticking her wand behind her ear for safekeeping, then putting an arm around Ginny's waist and pulling her up.

'It's only my ankle, I can do it myself!' said Deyanira impatiently, but next moment she had collapsed sideways and grabbed Luna for support. Gienah pulled Ron's arm over her shoulder. She looked around: they had a one in twelve chance of getting the exit right first time - '

He heaved Ron towards a door; they were within a few feet of it when another door across the hall burst open and three Death Eaters sped in, led by Dolohov.

'There they are!' he shouted.

Stunning Spells shot across the room: Gienah smashed her way through the door ahead, flung Ron unceremoniously from her and ducked back to help Deyanira in with Hermione: they were all over the threshold just in time to slam the door against Dolohov.

'Colloportus!' shouted Harry, and he heard three bodies slam into the door on the other side.

'It doesn't matter!' said a man's voice. There are other ways in - WE'VE GOT THEM, THEY'RE HERE!'

Gienah span around; they were back in the Brain Room and, sure enough, there were doors all around the walls. She could hear footsteps in the hall behind them as more Death Eaters came running to join the first.

'Luna - Hermione - help me!'

The three of them tore around the room, sealing the doors as they went; Gienah crashed into a table and rolled over the top of it in her haste to reach the next door:

'Colloportus!'

There were footsteps running along behind the doors, every now and then another heavy body would launch itself against one, so it creaked and shuddered; Luna and Hermione were bewitching the doors along the opposite wall - then, as Gieanh reached the very top of the room, she heard Luna cry: 'Collo- aaaaaaaaargh . . .'

She turned in time to see her flying through the air; five Death Eaters were surging into the room through the door she had not reached in time; Luna hit a desk, slid over its surface and on to the floor on the other side where she lay sprawled.

'Get Potter!' shrieked Dolohov, and she ran at him; he dodged her and sprinted back up the room.

'Hey!' said Ron, who had staggered to his feet and was now tottering drunkenly towards Harry, giggling. 'Hey, Harry, there are brains in here, ha ha ha, isn't that weird, Harry?'

'Ron, get out of the way, get down - '

But Ron had already pointed his wand at the tank.

'Honest, Harry, they're brains - look - Accio brain!'

The scene seemed momentarily frozen. Gienah, Luna and Deyanira and each of the Death Eaters turned in spite of themselves to watch the top of the tank as a brain burst from the green liquid like a leaping fish: for a moment it seemed suspended in midair, then soared towards Ron, spinning as it came, and what looked like ribbons of moving images flew from it, unravelling like rolls of film -

'Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it - ' said Ron, watching it disgorge its gaudy innards, 'Harry, come and touch it; bet it's weird - '

'RON, NO!'

Gienah did not know what would happen if Ron touched the tentacles of thought now flying behind the brain, but she was sure it would not be anything good. She darted forwards but Ron had already caught the brain in his outstretched hands.

The moment they made contact with his skin, the tentacles began wrapping themselves around Ron's arms like ropes.

Gienah, look what's happen- No - no - I don't like it - no, stop - stop - '

But the thin ribbons were spinning around Ron's chest now; he tugged and tore at them as the brain was pulled tight against him like an octopus's body.

'Diffindo!' yelled Gienah, trying to sever the feelers wrapping themselves tightly around Ron before his eyes, but they would not break. Ron fell over, still thrashing against his bonds.

'Harry, it'll suffocate him!' screamed Deyanira, immobilised by her broken ankle on the floor - then a jet of red light flew from one of the Death Eater's wands and hit her squarely in the face. She keeled over sideways and lay there unconscious.

Gienah and Harry were now the only two left fighting the five Death Eaters, two of whom sent off streams of silver light like arrows which missed but left craters in the wall behind them. Harry ran for it as Bellatrix Lestrange raced right at him: holding the prophecy high above his head, he sprinted back up the room.

The death eaters streaked after him. Gienah looked around and revived Deyanira and Hermione. She carefully aimed at the thin ribbons and sent a minor slashing jinx until he was set free. Then she stunned him.

"Hermione, take Ron and Deyanira back to the main hall." Gienah said, running after the door Harry had ran through. "Luna come with me!"

She had no idea where Zabini had gone, but Harry was alone with the possession they were after.

Gienah ran through a door that looked like an office and to the next that resembled a stone cellar. There were four death eaters in the room and- and- lying on the door was Moody, bleeding from the head. His attacker was now bearing down upon him: Dolohov, his long pale face twisted with glee.

"Relashio" Gienah hissed.

A deep cut slashed his chest.

Gienah was disarmed but she had no idea who had done it. Looking around for her wand she gave up. Harry had just been attacked. He was bleeding. Gienah drew her blade and aimed for Dolohov's wand arm.

Dolohov raised his wand again. 'Accio proph-'

Lupin had hurtled out of nowhere, rammed Dolohov with his shoulder and sent him flying out of the way. The prophecy had again flown to the tips of Harry's fingers but he had managed to cling on to it. Now Lupin and Dolohov were duelling, their wands flashing like swords, sparks flying from their wand-tips - '

Gienah aimed again and flung the knife and it found its mark. A deep gash was made in his wrist forcing him to drop his wand. The dagger came back to her and she smiled down on it.

'Nice one!' shouted Lupin, forcing Harry's head down as a pair of Stunning Spells flew towards them. 'Now I want you to get out of- '

They both ducked again; a jet of green light had narrowly missed Lupin. Across the room Gienah saw Tonks fall from halfway up the stone steps, her limp form toppling from stone seat to stone seat and Macnair, triumphant, running back towards the fray.

'Harry, take the prophecy, grab Gienah and run!' Lupin yelled, dashing to meet Macnair. Gienah did not see what happened next: Kingsley swayed across her field of vision, battling with the pockmarked and no longer masked Rookwood; another jet of green light flew over her head as she launched herself towards Luna - '

'Can you stand?' she said in her ear, as Luna's legs jerked and twitched uncontrollably. 'Put your arm round my neck -

Luna did so - Gienah heaved - Luna's legs were lying in every direction, they would not support her, and then, out of nowhere, a man lunged at them: both fell backwards, Luna's legs waving wildly like an overturned beetle's.

From her right she saw Malfoy snarl at Harry.

'The prophecy, give me the prophecy, Potter!' snarled Lucus Malfoy's voice in his ear, and Harry felt the tip of Malfoy's wand pressing hard between his ribs.

'No - get - off - me . . . Gienah - catch it!'

Harry flung the prophecy across the floor, Gienah jumped with a seeker's hand she caught the prophecy before landing neatly on her feet. Malfoy pointed the wand instead at Gienah, but Harry jabbed his own wand back over his shoulder and yelled, 'Impedimenta!'

Malfoy was blasted off his back. GIenah saw Malfoy smash into the dais on which Lupin and Macnair were now duelling. Malfoy aimed his wand at Harry and Gienah again, but before he could draw breath to strike, Kingsley had jumped between them.

'Harry, round up the others and GO!'

Harry seized Luna by the shoulder of her robes and lifted her bodily on to the first tier of stone steps; her legs twitched and jerked and would not support his weight; Harry heaved again with all the strength he possessed and they climbed another step - '

A spell hit Gienah. She fell in agony. Her foot had been clean cut off from her right leg. Gienah again couldn't see who her attacker was. Feeling a little sick she fell and crawled towards the door. She felt a hex miss her by an inch and dragged herself faster, her knees irritated and no doubt about it bloody. Gienah then saw a wand lying a metre away. She couldn't believe her luck. Gienah went to reach it but it disappeared.

"Deyanira!" Gienah screamed and for the life of her she thought with all her effort accio wand.

A wand zoomed straight into her hand. She cursed blindly in front of her and was sure she heard a thump and then she pointed the wand to her foot and stopped the bleeding and wrapped bandages around it and conjured a walking stick. She then crawled forward feeling for the cloak and found it. Pulling she daw Deyanira.

"Double crossing cow" She grumbled as she levitated her as she pulled herself to her feet, leaning on the walking stick. A door opened and Gienah held out her wand, but it was Zabini. He was stumbling before he fell in front of her. Behind him was Deyanira looking pale and anxious. But it couldn't be because a stunned girl who looked exactly like her was stunned and levitating in front of her.

"The fuck-"

"GIENAH!"

Gienah turned and saw Luna running away from a life sized china doll throwing knives at Luna. Gienah turned and pointed her wand to the dolls heart and blasted the china figurine into dust. Luna collapsed in front of her, breathing hard.

"Thanks" Luna panted.

"No problem." Gienah said, looking back at Deyanira who was looking at her unconscious mirror image. "The order are back there. We need to get out of here."

"What about Harry?" Luna said, holding her chest.

"First we need to get everyone injured out of here." Gienah said a little guiltily. "The order are here. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Luna dragged Zabini, and Gienah hopped through the door. Deyanira in a shock also struggled through into the circular hallway where several death eaters were tied in the centre of the room.

Gienah attempted door after door and finally found the exit. Neville was no longer propped by the wall. Gienah prayed someone had taken him to safety and made for the lifts. It was a pathetic image, Gienah thought. An unconscious boy being half dragged, half supported by a petite girl of fifteen, an unconscious figure levitated in front of a girl with no foot and her identical twin, staring at the figure while hobbling on her broken legs. Hitting the button they were being taken to the atrium.

As she left the lift Gienah groaned. Harry, Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort were by the fountain, circling each other, preparing to duel. Gienah left Luna to look after the others and ran as fast as she could towards Harry. Voldemort was twirling his wand in his hand, protected by a transfigured serpent and looking keenly at Harry. Harry was already heavily bleeding. There was a deep cut on his upper arm.

"Harry!" Gienah shouted

Harry turned and saw Gienah shift into a phoenix and fly in front of Harry just as Voldemort had cast a killing curse. The phoenix turn wrinkled and old, burst into fire and fell in front of him.

"NO!" Harry cried.

Dumbledore was busy duelling Voldemort with a vengeance.

But from the ashes, a new bird squawked and cried upon Harry's shoulder and then his cheek before shift once more. Gienah stood before him, her foot regrown and looking as good as.. new.

Gienah blast Harry across the marble floor and transfigured the remainder of the fountain so that they barricaded Harry from the duel. Then she turned and saw Voldemort was losing. Gienah didn't want to to take any chances however and she ran to Dumbledore's side. Voldemort widened his eyes in interest.

"Evening professor" Gienah said as she shielded Dumbledore so he could gain an offensive stance.

"Gienah" Dumbledore said politely.

Voldemort was a wonderful dueller. She may hate the wizard but she could appreciate talent. Voldemort then conjured a snake made of fire. Gienah blinked before she pointed at the snake and conjured the strongest freeze charm she could. The two forces caused it to rain. Ominously there was a thunder of lighting and a bolt almost hit Voldemort. He was holding it off with his bare hand, his wand arm trained on Gienah. A flash of green almost hit her, but the one armed centaur made a reappearance and debris of rock fell in every direction. One hit Gienah's head. Wanting to finish the duel once and for all Gienah ran forward and pounced, digging her claws into his pale flesh. "GIENAH!" She heard Dumbledore yell but she had longed to sink her claws into him. Gienah roared and his face seemed to melt off his face as he apparated, Gienah was dragged away with him.

Chapter Forty-Nine: **The Thief at the Orphanage**

"My lord?" Wormtail said timidly, bowing his balding head.

Voldemort was howling in pain and a beast was attached to his side. Wormtail drew his wand and stunned the creature.

Gienah opened her eyes. She was in a dungeon… in Malfoy's Manor. She sighed a breath of relief.

"Ivy" Gienah whispered.

The house elf appeared at once.

"Miss Gienah!" Ivy said in surprise, looking around the dingy dungeon.

"Can you take me to the Ministry of Magic?"

"Yes miss of course, I is not understanding how you got in here! The rat man said there was a creature down here."

Gienah laughed nervously.

Ivy took her hand and apparated her to the Ministry. Ivy curtsied and Gienah saw she had been returned to the atrium but it was pristine. The fountain had returned to its former glory. There were no crumbled bodies by the elevator and what more, there were several ministry officials standing by the reception including an extremely flustered looking Minister

"Gienah" Dumbledore sighed.

"Headmaster" Gienah smiled. "Is everyone safe?"

"I believe so." Dumbledore said, offering her his arm as they walked down the hall and past the frantic conversations. "Mr. Zabini Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Weasley have been taken to St. Mungo's. Harry is waiting in my office. Shall we?"

Gienah nodded and Fawkes appeared, singing happily and with a burst of light they had apparated.

"Gienah" Harry said weakly, hugging her as she appeared.

'Madam Pomfrey is patching everybody up,' said Dumbledore 'Nymphadora Tonks may need to spend a little time in St Mungos, but it seems she will make a full recovery. Sirius and Alyssandra have each had a dose of Wiggenweld potion and are resting in Black Manor with Ms. Tonks'

"Gienah, I need to speak to-" Dumbledore began.

"She stays" Harry said coldly.

Gienah hesitated and sat down.

'Harry, I owe you an explanation,' said Dumbledore. 'An explanation of an old man's mistakes. For I see now that what I have done, and not done, with regard to you, bears all the hallmarks of the failings of age. Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young . . . and I seem to have forgotten, lately . . .'

The sun was rising properly now; there was a rim of dazzling orange visible over the mountains and the sky above it was colourless and bright. The light fell upon Dumbledore, upon the silver of his eyebrows and beard, upon the lines gouged deeply into his lace.

'I guessed, fifteen years ago,' said Dumbledore, 'when I saw the scar on your forehead, what it might mean. I guessed that it might be the sign of a connection forged between you and Voldemort.'

'You've told me this before, Professor,' said Harry bluntly.

'Yes,' said Dumbledore apologetically. 'Yes, but you see - it is necessary to start with your scar. For it became apparent, shortly after you rejoined the magical world, that I was correct, and that your scar was giving you warnings when Voldemort was close to you, or else feeling powerful emotion.'

'I know,' said Harry wearily.

'And this ability of yours - to detect Voldemort's presence, even when he is disguised, and to know what he is feeling when his emotions are roused - has become more and more pronounced since Voldemort returned to his own body and his full powers.'

'More recently,' said Dumbledore, 'I became concerned that Voldemort might realise that this connection between you exists. Sure enough, there came a time when you entered so far into his mind and thoughts that he sensed your presence. I am speaking, of course, of the night when you witnessed the attack on Mr Weasley'

"Professor Snape told me" Harry said.

"Did you not wonder why it was he who gave your lessons and not I?"

Gienah was feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Neither of them seemed to acknowledge her presence.

'I believed it could not be long before Voldemort attempted to force his way into your mind, to manipulate and misdirect your thoughts, and I was not eager to give him more incentives to do so. I was sure that if he realised that our relationship was - or had ever been - closer than that of headmaster and pupil, he would seize his chance to use you as a means to spy on me. I feared the uses to which he would put you, the possibility that he might try and possess you. Harry, I believe I was right to think that Voldemort would have made use of you in such a way. On those rare occasions when we had close contact, I thought I saw a shadow of him stir behind your eyes . . .'

He sighed deeply.

'Sirius told me you felt Voldemort awake inside you the very night that you had the vision of Arthur Weasley's attack. I knew at once that my worst fears were correct: Voldemort had realised he could use you. In an attempt to arm you against Voldemort s assaults on your mind, I arranged Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape.'

He paused.

'Professor Snape discovered,' Dumbledore resumed, 'that you had been dreaming about the door to the Department of Mysteries for months. Voldemort, of course, had been obsessed with the possibility of hearing the prophecy ever since he regained his body; and as he dwelled on the door, so did you, though you did not know what it meant.

'And then you saw Rookwood, who worked in the Department of Mysteries before his arrest, telling Voldemort what we had known all along - that the prophecies held in the Ministry of Magic are heavily protected. Only the people to whom they refer can lilt them from the shelves without suffering madness: in this case, either Voldemort himself would have to enter the Ministry of Magic, and risk revealing himself at last - or else you would have to take it for him. It became a matter of even greater urgency that you should master Occlumency.'

'But I didn't,' muttered Harry.

Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses.

'It is time,' he said, 'for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything. I ask only a little patience. You will have your chance to rage at me - to do whatever you like - when I have finished. I will not stop you.'

Dumbledore stared for a moment at the sunlit grounds outside the window, then looked back at Harry and said, "Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a child because of a prophecy made shortly before your birth. He knew the prophecy had been made, though he did not know its full contents. He set out to kill you when you were still a baby, believing he was fulfilling the terms of the prophecy. He discovered, to his cost, that he was mistaken, when the curse intended to kill you backfired. And so, since his return to his body, and particularly since your extraordinary escape from him last year, he has been determined to hear that prophecy in its entirety. This is the weapon he has been seeking so assiduously since his return: the knowledge of how to destroy you.'

The sun had risen fully now: Dumbledore's office was bathed in it. The glass case in which the sword of Godric Gryffindor resided gleamed white and opaque, the fragments of the instruments Harry had thrown to the floor glistened like raindrops, and behind him, the baby Fawkes made soft chirruping noises in his nest of ashes.

'The prophecy's smashed,' Harry said blankly.

"The thing that smashed was merely the record of the prophecy kept by the Department of Mysteries. But the prophecy was made to somebody, and that person has the means of recalling it perfectly.'

'Who heard it?' asked Harry, though he thought he knew the answer already.

'I did,' said Dumbledore. 'On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog's Head inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all. The applicant, however, was the great-great-granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer and I thought it common politeness to meet her. I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post. I turned to leave.'

Dumbledore got to his feet and walked past Harry to the black cabinet that stood beside Fawkes's perch. He bent down, slid back a catch and took from inside it the shallow stone basin, carved with runes around the edges. Dumbledore walked back to the desk, placed the Pensieve upon it, and raised his wand to his own temple. From it, he withdrew silvery, gossamer-fine strands of thought clinging to the wand and deposited them into the basin. He sat back down behind his desk and watched his thoughts swirl and drift inside the Pensieve for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he raised his wand and prodded the silvery substance with its tip.

A figure rose out of it, draped in shawls, her eyes magnified to enormous size behind her glasses, and she revolved slowly, her feet in the basin. But when Sybill Trelawney spoke, it was not in her usual ethereal, mystic voice, but in harsh, hoarse tones:

'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches . . . born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies . . . and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not . . . and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives . . . the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies . . .'

The slowly revolving Professor Trelawney sank back into the silver mass below and vanished.

The silence within the office was absolute. Neither Dumbledore nor Harry or Gienah, nor any of the portraits made a sound. Even Fawkes had fallen silent.

'Voldemort's information about the prophecy was incomplete. The Hog's Head inn, which Sybill chose for its cheapness, has long attracted, shall we say, a more interesting clientele than the Three Broomsticks. As you and your friends found out to your cost, and I to mine that night, it is a place where it is never safe to assume you are not being overheard. Of course, I had not dreamed, when I set out to meet Sybill Trelawney, that I would hear anything worth overhearing. My - our - one stroke of good fortune was that the eavesdropper was detected only a short way into the prophecy and thrown from the building.'

'So he only heard - ?'

'He heard only the beginning, the part foretelling the birth of a boy in July to parents who had thrice defied Voldemort. Consequently, he could not warn his master that to attack you would be to risk transferring power to you, and marking you as his equal. So Voldemort never knew that there might be danger in attacking you, that it might be wise to wait, to learn more. He did not know that you would have power the Dark Lord knows not - '

'But I don't!' said Harry, in a strangled voice. 'I haven't any powers he hasn't got, I couldn't fight the way he did tonight, I can't possess people or - or kill them - '

There is a room in the Department of Mysteries,' interrupted Dumbledore, 'that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than the forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most mysterious of the many subjects for study that reside there. It is the power held within that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all. That power took you to save Sirius tonight.'

'So,' said Harry, dredging up the words from what felt like a deep well of despair inside him, 'so does that mean that . . . that one of us has got to kill the other one . . . in the end?'

'Yes,' said Dumbledore.

For a long time, no one spoke. Somewhere far beyond the office walls, Gienah could hear the sound of voices, students heading down to the Great Hall for an early breakfast, perhaps.

'I feel I owe you another explanation, Harry,' said Dumbledore hesitantly. 'You may, perhaps, have wondered why I never chose you as a prefect? I must confess . . . that I rather thought . . . you had enough responsibility to be going on with.'

Gienah looked up at him and saw a tear trickling down Dumbledore's face into his long silver beard. Watching one of the most powerful wizard shedding a tear made Gienah feel so completely and utterly human. Gienah found tears fell from her own eyes as well.

Harry and Gienah left for breakfast though Gienah asked Harry what happened to the unconscious Dienah.

"What are you talking about?" Harry said frowning.

"You saw her Harry." Gienah said slowly. "There were two of her. Someone is impersonating her."

"After breakfast you need to get some sleep." Harry said with a yawn.

"I need to see the professor!" Gienah yelled and ran to the fourth floor.

"Where's professor Snape?" Gienah said to Madame Pomfrey.

"Really Ms. Black, he needs his rest." Madame Pomfrey said, tending to Neville.

Gienah saw him reading a newspaper on the other end of the hospital wing.

"Thanks!" Gienah said, running to Snape.

"Professor!" Gienah breathed, taking a seat by his bed.

"What? No card, fruit basket?" Snape said not taking his eyes of the article he was reading.

"I've only just got back!" Gienah whined.

"In that case, what do you want?" Snape put down the paper and looked at her.

"Deyanira Rookwood, I don't believe she is who she says she is. Or who she thinks she is." Gienah whispered looking around and casting a privacy charm. "There were two Deyanira's at the Ministry tonight professor and one sliced my foot of. I don't know who is the innocent party here, if either, but it is either the true Deyanira Rookwood of the imposter, if that is even her name. I asked Harry just now and he had no recollection. This imposter is using memory charms! I believe my memory may be tampered with, if not so already."

Snape was listening intently, a frown marring his face.

"Deposit your memory" Snape said, rustling for something in his pocket. "This instant. After I have been discharged I will see if anything can be recovered and our next step with Rookwood."

Snape was holding out a vial. Gienah extracted the memory with her wand and filled the empty glass container.

"Be off with you." Snape said, picking his paper once more. "Eat, sleep, return to my office this evening if I have not called you before."

 **HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED RETURNS**

 _'In a brief statement on Friday night, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned to this country and is once more active._

 _"It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself Lord - well, you know who I mean - is alive and among us again," said Fudge, looking tired and flustered as he addressed reporters. "It is with almost equal regret that we report the mass revolt of the Dementors of Azkaban, who have shown themselves averse to continuing in the Ministry's employ. We believe the Dementors are currently taking direction from Lord - Thingy._

 _"We urge the magician population to remain vigilant. The Ministry is currently publishing guides to elementary home and personal defence which will be delivered free to all wizarding homes within the coming month."_

 _The Minister's statement was met with dismay and alarm from the wizarding community, which as recently as last Wednesday was receiving Ministry assurances that there was "no truth whatsoever in these persistent rumours that You-Know-Who is operating amongst us once more"._

 _'Details of the events that led to the Ministry turnaround are still hazy, though it is believed that He Who Must Not Be Named and a select band of followers (known as Death Eaters) gained entry to the Ministry of Magic itself on Thursday evening._

 _Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, reinstated member of the International Confederation of Wizards and reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, has so far been unavailable for comment. He has insisted over the past year that You-Know-Who is not dead, as was widely hoped and believed, but is recruiting followers once more for afresh attempt to seize power. Meanwhile, the "Boy Who Lived" - '_

"There you are, Harry, I knew they'd drag you into it somehow" said Hermione, looking over the top of the paper at him.

They were in the hospital wing. Gienah was biting into a chocolate frog and half listening to the article. Harry was sitting on the end of Ron's bed and they were both listening to Hermione read the front page of the Sunday Prophet. Ginny, was curled up at the foot of Hermione's bed; Neville, whose nose had likewise been returned to its normal size and shape, was in a chair between the two beds; and Luna, who had dropped in to visit, clutching the latest edition of The Quibbler, was reading the magazine upside-down and apparently not taking in a word Hermione was saying.

'He's the "boy who lived" again now, though, isn't he?' said Ron darkly. 'Not such a deluded show-off any more, eh?'

He helped himself to a handful of Chocolate Frogs from the immense pile on his bedside cabinet, threw a few to Gienah, Ginny and Neville and ripped off the wrapper of his own with his teeth. There were still deep welts on his forearms where the brain's tentacles had wrapped around him. According to Madam Pomfrey, thoughts could leave deeper scarring than almost anything else, though since she had started applying copious amounts of Dr Ubbly's Oblivious Unction there seemed to have been some improvement.

'Yes, they're very complimentary about you now, Harry,' said Hermione, scanning down the article. ' "A lone voice of truth . . . perceived as unbalanced, yet never wavered in his story . . . forced to bear ridicule and slander . . ." Hmmm,' she said, frowning, 'I notice they don't mention the fact that it was them doing all the ridiculing and slandering in the Prophet . . .'

She winced slightly and put a hand to her ribs. The curse Dolohov had used on her, though less effective than it would have been had he been able to say the incantation aloud, had nevertheless caused, in Madam Pomfrey's words, 'quite enough damage to be going on with'. Hermione was having to take ten different types of potion every day, was improving greatly, and was already bored with the hospital wing.

'You-Know- Who's Last Attempt to Take Over, pages two to Jour, What the Ministry Should Have Told Us, page five, Why Nobody Listened to Albus Dumbledore, pages six to eight, Exclusive Interview with Harry Potter, page nine . . . Well,' said Hermione, folding up the newspaper and throwing it aside, 'it's certainly given them lots to write about. And that interview with Harry isn't exclusive, it's the one that was in The Quibbler months ago . . .'

'Daddy sold it to them,' said Luna vaguely, turning a page of The Quibbler. 'He got a very good price for it, too, so we're going to go on an expedition to Sweden this summer to see if we can catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.'

Gienah laughed at Hermione's reaction and soon the Hospital Wing seemed to lift in the sunlight. The laughter could be heard from the grounds where people lazed around, finished with their exams and soaking their feet in the lake. Even Hermione smiled.

That evening Gienah knocked on the office door in the dungeons and entered with a wide grin on her face. She was carrying a basket of fruit and a homemade get well card. Snape raised his eyebrow but took a shiny red apple and bit into it nonetheless.

"So I suppose it was the.. imposter who left me unconscious and I didn't trip down the stairs?" Snape said.

Gienah nodded sheepishly.

"Well we could hardly tell Madame Pomfrey the truth" Gienah muttered.

"It is no matter." Snape sighed. "Sit".

Gienah sat.

Snape came to stand in front of her and entered her mind. Gienah felt she was happily drifting away, her mind was not her own. He retrieved the vial with a strand of memory that was not quite the usual silvery wisp.

"Your memory has been tampered with." Snape said, bringing out his pensieve and placing it in the basin.

But there was nothing significant about the memories. Sleeping, studying, Gienah looking suspiciously at Deyanira, but nothing of substance. Then the most recent memory came into play. The invisibility cloak. The injured doppelganger perplexed by her mirror image, stunned and unconscious before her.

"Rookwood is a skilled obliviator.." Snape said frowning, then he went into his personal store cupboard and came out holding a little bottle of golden yellow liquid. "You must have Rookwood drink this away from private eyes. It will force her true identity. In the meantime keep a diary, write in it regularly and do not tell anyone you have it. If your memory is tampered with again we will know."

Gienah snuck into Deyanira's dormitory that night and felt a strange sense of deja vu as she transformed by her bed under Harry's invisibility cloak. Gienah drew the curtains and placed her in a deep sleep before holding her head and pouring the thick liquid into her mouth. Gienah waited a few seconds but she remained unchanged. Gienah sighed as she crept out of the dormitory. Who was the doppelganger? It certainly wasn't Deyanira, which didn't make any sense at all. If it wasn't their original why would the second Deyanira risk traipsing around in the original's body? Unless Deyanira really did have a twin sister.. what were the odds? Gienah snorted. Not very bloody likely.

Ron and Hermione left the hospital wing completely cured three days before the end of term. Professor Umbridge left Hogwarts the day before the end of term. It seemed she had crept out of the hospital wing during dinnertime, evidently hoping to depart undetected, but unfortunately for her, she met Peeves on the way, who seized his last chance to do as Fred had instructed, and chased her gleefully from the premises whacking her alternately with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk. Many students ran out into the Entrance Hall to watch her running away down the path and the Heads of Houses tried only half-heartedly to restrain them. Indeed, Professor McGonagall sank back into her chair at the staff table after a few feeble remonstrances and was clearly heard to express a regret that she could not run cheering after Umbridge herself, because Peeves had borrowed her walking stick.

The journey home on the Hogwarts Express next day was eventful in several ways. Firstly, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, who had clearly been waiting all week for the opportunity to strike without teacher witnesses, attempted to ambush Harry halfway down the train as he made his way back from the toilet. The attack might have succeeded had it not been for the fact that they unwittingly chose to stage the attack right outside a compartment full of DA members, who saw what was happening through the glass and rose as one to rush to Harry's aid. By the time Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot, had finished using a wide variety of the hexes and jinxes Harry had taught them, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle resembled nothing so much as three gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts uniform as Harry, Ernie and Justin hoisted them into the luggage rack and left them there to ooze.

'I must say, I'm looking forward to seeing Malfoy's mothers face when he gets off the train,' said Ernie, with some satisfaction, as he watched Malfoy squirm above him. Ernie had never quite got over the indignity of Malfoy docking points from Hufflepuff during his brief spell as a member of the Inquisitorial Squad.

'Goyle's mum'll be really pleased, though,' said Gienah, who had come to investigate the source of the commotion. 'He's loads better-looking now.'

Ambrosia was on her hip gurgling happily and pointing at the slugs.

"Yes darling" Gienah cooed. "Draco has been a bad boy".

Harry thanked the others and accompanied Gienah back to their compartment, where he bought a large pile of cauldron cakes and pumpkin pasties. Gienah and Zabini were playing peekaboo with Ambrosia. Ginny was reading WitchWeekly, Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet again, Deyanira was doing a quiz in The Quibbler and Neville was stroking his Mimbulus mimbletonia, which had grown a great deal over the year and now made odd crooning noises when touched.

Gienah spent the rest of the journey reading Pride and Prejudice whilst looking at Zabini sleeping with her daughter in his arms. Harry and Ron whiled away most of the journey playing wizard chess while Hermione read out snippets from the Prophet. It was now full of articles about how to repel Dementors, attempts by the Ministry to track down Death Eaters and hysterical letters claiming that the writer had seen Lord Voldemort walking past their house that very morning . . .

'It hasn't really started yet,' sighed Hermione gloomily, folding up the newspaper again. 'But it won't be long now

'Hey, Harry,' said Gienah softly, nodding towards the glass window on to the corridor.

Harry looked around. Cho was passing, accompanied by Marietta Edgecombe, who was wearing a balaclava. His and Cho's eyes met for a moment. Cho blushed and kept walking. Harry looked back down at the chessboard just in time to see one of his pawns chased off its square by Ron's knight.

'What's - er - going on with you and her, anyway?' Ron asked quietly.

'Nothing,' said Harry truthfully.

'I - er - heard she's going out with someone else now,' said Hermione tentatively.

'You're well out of it, mate,' said Ron forcefully. 'I mean, she's quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful.'

'She's probably cheerful enough with someone else,' said Harry, shrugging.

'Who's she with now, anyway?' Ron asked Hermione, but it was Ginny who answered.

'Michael Corner,' she said.

'Michael - but - ' said Ron, craning around in his seat to stare at her. 'But you were going out with him!'

'Not any more,' said Ginny resolutely. 'He didn't like Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch, and got really sulky, so I ditched him and he ran off to comfort Cho instead.' Ron looked highly delighted.

'Well, I always thought he was a bit of an idiot,' he said, prodding his queen forwards towards Harry's quivering castle. 'Good for you. Just choose someone - better - next time.

He cast Harry an oddly furtive look as he said it.

'Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?' asked Ginny vaguely.

'WHAT?' shouted Ron, upending the chessboard: Crookshanks went plunging after the pieces and Hedwig and Pigwidgeon twittered and hooted angrily from overhead.

"What's - ur- happening between you two then?" Harry asked, in a failing casual voice.

"He asked me to marry him" Gienah said, enjoying the effect it had on the two boys.

"He hasn't even dated you!" Harry said.

"You call him by his surname!" Ron protested.

"Seeing as I'm pregnant with his child" Gienah continued and almost everyone spluttered this time. "I thought I might do things the old fashioned way."

"You're joking!" Ron said.

Gienah didn't answer and realized she didn't feel mortified at the prospect of having another child. Ambrosia was the centre of her world and she was sure it would be the same again.


	45. Trial and Error

Chapter Forty-Nine: **Trial and Error**

 **SCRIMGEOUR SUCCEEDS FUDGE**

Rufus Scrimgeour, previously Head of the Auror office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, has succeeded Cornelius Fudge as Minister of Magic. The appointment has largely been greeted with enthusiasm by the Wizarding community, though rumors of a rift between the new Minister and Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, surfaced within hours of Scrimgeour taking office.

Scrimgeour's representatives admitted that he had met with Dumbledore at once upon taking possession of the top job, but refused to comment on the topics under discussion. Albus Dumbledore is known to (ctd. page 3)

Gienah had thrown her dagger into his calf, he was weakening.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry screamed

"Protego" Gienah said lazily.

"Stupefy" Harry said with gritted teeth.

"Lapis apario! Relashio. Stupefy."

"Well… Enervate." Sirius smiled encouragingly at Harry. "You managed to hold her off a few more moments. Again."

The duel lasted two minutes.

"Non-verbal. Once more".

 **HARRY POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONE?**

Rumors continue to fly about the mysterious recent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic, during which He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was sighted once more.

 _"We're not allowed to talk about it, don't ask me anything"_ said one agitated Obliviator, who refused to give his name as he left the Ministry last night.

Nevertheless, highly placed sources within the Ministry have confirmed that the disturbance centered on the fabled Hall of Prophecy.

Though Ministry spokes wizards have hitherto refused even to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the Wizarding community believe that the Death Eaters now serving sentences in Azkaban for trespass and attempted theft were attempting to steal a prophecy. The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Harry Potter, the only person ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question. Some are going so far as to call Potter "the Chosen One," believing that the prophecy names him as the only one who will be able to rid us of He-Who-Must-No t-Be-Named.

The current whereabouts of the prophecy, if it exists, are unknown, although (ctd. page2, column 5)

"Gemini" Gienah panted.

She used the few precious seconds to bring the nearest tree down in front of her before seeing to the wounds on her leg. She managed to stop the bleeding and wrap a bandage around it before the entire tree was lit aflame.

"Merlin's sake" Gienah groaned as she stumbled back before a burning franch set her on fire too.

"Glaciem" Gienah muttered before blasting the tree into splinters of icicles and charging them at Snape. He waved his wand lazily and he was downcast in rain instead.

Gienah waved her wand and one of her bodies sprinted straight at him while she transformed into a hummingbird and flew over the clearing in the woods. Gienah changed back as he blasted the doppelganger into dust and began taking down all her doubles.

Gienah disarmed him from above, and as she fell she changed once more into an eagle and lifted him by her claws and flew him thirty feet in the air before he yelled "Mercy!"

Gienah brought him down onto the clearing and changed back, panting as she passed him his wand.

"How was I?" Gienah asked, summoning her bottle of water.

"Satisfactory" Snape nodded. "But far from perfect."

Gienah grumbled.

"I am training you so one day you could go up against Dumbledore and win." Snape said seriously. "That is no mean feat."

"But he's got decades of experience!" Gienah protested.

"And you have natural gifts girl!" Snape said frustratedly. "You will begin wandless magic this summer and before you return to Hogwarts you will duel Remus, Sirius and I single handedly. I expect you to win."

Gienah felt the blood drain from her face.

 **DEMENTOR ATTACKS MUGGLES IN SURREY**

In the early hours today dementors attacked a muggle home for the disabled leaving thirty seven bodies soulless. The muggle's have reported the story as a mass murder by a neo-fascist group. The news story took the muggle world by storm and once again the ministry urges to safeguard muggles in their area with a few simple spells. The attack is one of the latest in the South-East. Auror Kingsley comments " _The Auror Department is strained, we are running off our feet and running low on resources. We urge volunteers to join the emergency forces which will place guards in several key stations around the country to protect muggle and wizard alike. No life is safe. Dementors attack muggles and purebloods alike. I call to our nation for our brave men and women to come forward and fight."_

"DAD!" Gienah shouted from the living room. "DAAAD!"

Lupin came running in from the kitchen with his oven gloves on.

"She's walking!" Gienah clapped her hands and took the tenth picture of Ambrosia leaving Lyra's arms and walking towards her, smiling and babbling "Mama".

"And so she is." Lupin chuckled.

"She did it yesterday!" Lyra said, folding her arms. "No one made a fuss then."

"One step is not walking Lyra." Gienah said, beaming as Ambrosia reached her. "Need help in the kitchen dad?"

"I'll help!" Lyra scrambled to her feet and skipped into the kitchen.

Isla began crying.

"Merlin, the lungs on you girl" Gienah sighed, picking Isla up into her arms. "Lyra's just gone into the kitchen silly."

Gienah bounced her in her lap.

"Shall we go and see what daddy is doing Isla?" Gienah cooed. "Rosie?"

Ambrosia babbled.

"Come on then love." Gienah said, getting to her feet. "Can you walk into the kitchen Rosie?"

Gienah slowly walked towards the kitchen ushering Ambrosia to follow.

"Almost there Rosie" Gienah said. "Almost there love. Come on. Come on. Harry!"

Harry had crept up behind her and taken Ambrosia by the waist and lifted her onto his shoulders.

"Merlin's sake Harry" Gienah sighed, sitting onto the stool on the breakfast bar. "She needs to practice."

"You sound like Hermione" Harry frowned. "She's only two years old."

"Why are you here?" Gienah said.

"I'm charmed." Harry chuckled. "Do I need a reason to see my niece?"

Gienah stared at him.

"Need the library." Harry said.

"Oh what's this!" Gienah said in a mock concerned voice. "You don't mean to say you're finally starting your homework."

"Alright mother." Harry muttered. "What's for dinner Lyra?"

"Cake" Lyra grinned.

"There best be lots of it." Harry warned.

"Pasta" Lupin said.

"And then.. cake" Lyra said.

Lupin ruffled Lyra's head.

"Gen.. I was wondering if I could possibly-" Harry began.

"Nope." Gienah said firmly, taking an apple from the fruit bowl.

"Just a teeny tiny-" Harry pleaded.

"No Harry" Gienah sniffed. "You shouldn't have spent your entire holiday playing quidditch with Ron and flirting with girls in the park."

"Just one girl!" Harry said hotly.

"Ron says different." Gienah smiled.

"Has Harry got a girlfriend?" Lyra giggled.

"Gienah has a boyfriend." Harry pointed out.

"Yes, but this would be your first girlfriend unless you count Chang and I'm not counting Chang." Gienah said.

"We don't like Chang." Lyra agreed.

"What was wrong with Chang- Cho?" Harry said.

"She was a human hose pipe." Gienah said. "And she dated my boyfriend."

Harry grumbled.

"So when are we meeting her?"

"You're not." Harry said. "It was a summer fling. She's gone back to Pakistan."

"Oh, that's a shame." Gienah sighed. "Why don't you ask Parvati out again?"

"Parvati's Indian." Harry said, shaking his head. "I'm not going to try and replace her."

"Is Blaise coming for dinner?" Lyra asked.

"Yup" Gienah said.

"Yes!" Lyra grinned.

"I like Blaise too." Lupin said. "Nice boy."

"Wealthy" Harry smirked.

"It doesn't hurt" Gienah laughed.

"I want to be in Slytherin just like Blaise."

Harry blinked.

"What did she just say?" Harry said to Gienah.

"We don't support any house prejudices in this house." Gienah said sourly. "Zabini put that rule in. It's on the wall and everything."

"Looking forward to starting Hogwarts Lyra?" Lupin said to Lyra.

"Am I ever!" Lyra said, almost jumping with joy. "Dad took me shopping yesterday and brought all my school robes and a cauldron and all my books and I brought a toad too! Her names Morgana."

"Huh." Gienah said as Harry roared out laughing.

"Now Lyra, remember you're not to tell anyone about your gift." Lupin said seriously, his hand on his hip. "And if you need to transform, look around carefully to see if anyone can see you."

"Yes Uncle Remus." Lyra said in a bored voice. "You know- you're the fourth person to tell me that."

"It's important." Both Lupin and Gienah said at once.

Harry chuckled.

"Harry, take Isla for me." Gienah said as she stood up, throwing the apple core in the bin. "I think the entire Weasley family are coming tonight and you know what that means."

"Lala!" Ambrosia said as Isla sat on Harry's lap.

"Isla Rosie." Harry corrected her. "Eye- La."

"Lala, Lala!" Ambrosia said louder.

"Shall we play in the garden Rosie?" Harry said slowly. "Garden".

"Gar-den" Ambrosia said, reaching her hands out.

"Thata girl" Harry said, scooping her into his arms.

Gienah had just finished making the vegetable stock and cutting up the onions for her french onion soup when someone wrapped their arms around her waist.

"You smell like onions" Zabini said in her ear.

Gienah felt herself a little weak in the knees, how such an unromantic sentence could have an effect on her was beyond her.

"I know" Gienah sighed. "I'll have to take a shower after this."

"I'll join you." Zabini said, sitting down at the breakfast bar.

"Blaise!" Lyra said. "Yuck!"

Zabini chuckled.

"So it's the entire Weasley clan huh" he said.

"How'd you know?" Lyra said.

Zabini gestured around the kitchen. The second lasagna dish had just come out from the oven. There was a large pot simmering away for the soup and Lupin had just chopped up about thirty tomatoes for the salad.

"Oh." Lyra smiled. "I'm making cake."

"Yum" Zabini said, looking at the state of the little witch. "Chocolate?"

"Yup" Lyra said. "Chocolate and raspberry with passionfruit icecream."

"Blaise darling" Gienah said, wiping her teary eyes. "Could you set the table?"

"Sure thing." Zabini said. "Where's Pan?"

"Good thinking" Lupin said poking his head out of the kitchen. "PANDORA!"

Pandora came running down the stairs.

"Blaise!" She jumped into his arms.

"How's it going Pan?" Blaise grinned. "Wanna help set the table with me?"

Pandora nodded.

Over the next two hours their guests began to trickle into the cottage. First came Bill and Fleur bearing a large box of homemade macarons. Then Charlie with Cassiopeia, Oberon and Ophelia with a case of butterbeers. Mr and Mrs. Weasley arrived with Andromeda and Ted bringing two bottles of elves mead. Fred, George, Ron and Ginny came together through the floo and joined Harry in the garden. Missy brought the children down from the nursery at six to feed them all before the dinner party began. Tonks and Bellatrix came straight from work. Sirius, Alyssandra, Althena and the twins came last. The house was buzzing with noise. The children were being herded from the dining room to the garden with Mira and Cassie insisting they walked.

Gienah brought the bread out of the oven and began carving when Fleur dropped the news.

"Beel and I are getting married!" Fleur said to Alyssandra.

Alyssandra burst out crying and hugged Fleur.

"Congratulations darling" Alyssandra said. "Je suis si heureuse pour vous deux. De bonté ! Tant de choses à planifier."

And the two began babbling in French. Althena seemed to paying rapt attention to the two. Ayssandra insisted Althena learnt her mother tongue. Mrs. Weasley came in and the two headed to the living room, smiling and crying.

"What's wrong with those two?" Ron said.

"Fleur is engaged." Gienah said. "Not really a surprise though."

"Mum hates her." Ginny said.

"I do not hate her!" said Mrs. Weasley in a cross whisper. "I just think they've hurried into this engagement, that's all!"

"They've known each other a year," said Ron.

"Well, that's not very long! I know why it's happened, of course. Its all this uncertainty with You-Know-Who coming back, people think they might be dead tomorrow, so they're rushing all sorts of decisions they'd normally take time over. It was the same last time he was powerful, people eloping left, right, and center"

"Including you and Dad," said Ginny slyly.

"Yes, well, your father and I were made for each other, what was the point in waiting?" said Mrs. Weasley. "Whereas Bill and Fleur . . . well. . . what have they really got in common? He's a hardworking, down-to-earth sort of person, whereas she's-"

"A cow," said Ginny, nodding. "But Bill's not that down-to-earth. He's a Curse-Breaker, isn't he, he likes a bit of adventure, a bit of glamour. ... I expect that's why he's gone for Phlegm."

"Stop calling her that, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley sharply.

"Molly!" Andromeda called from the living room. "Come have a toast! Your first son's getting married! She's going to the chapel and she's - gonna get marriiied."

"Goodness" Mrs. Weasley laughed. "I think she's tipsy already!"

"You best catch up." Lupin winked.

Gienah, Lupin and Ginny brought the food into the dining room and called everyone in. It wasn't an elegant kind of dinner party. It was a Sunday dinner, surrounded by family and children tugging at their robes and plenty of butterbeer to go around.

Gienah sat near Ginny who was either a talented actress or a reformed character. Gienah didn't know what to make of it. They spent most of the summer together, studying, playing with the children.

"Have you heard from Narcissa?" Andromeda asked Alyssandra.

The end of the table went quiet as the adults waited for Alyssandra's answer.

"She- she owled me a week ago." Alyssandra sighed. "She believes it would be best to cut ties. Lucius has made his allegiance clear and she does not wish to tear her family apart. I have told her she would be welcome at the manor if she decided to change her mind."

"Like she has a say in the matter." Bellatrix snarled. "I always knew he was weak."

"Ella really" Andromeda scolded her. "Can you really talk?"

"I saw what he turned out to be Andromeda!" Bellatrix said loudly. The entire table was quiet now. "The dark lord is not interested in a better society. He is hungry for world domination."

"Yes but your view on a better society placed muggleborns firmly beneath your feet" Andromeda laughed. "Lucius wants the same.. utopia."

"How dare you?" Bellatrix said, outraged. "You have no idea the pains I've gone to pay for my mistakes."

"A doting husband and three beautiful children?" Andromeda said. "Yes, I can see how heavy a price that is."

"Andromeda" Lupin warned. "If you wish to insult my wife I request you do so in private. We have guests."

Andromeda continued to glare at her sister and then stood up and left the room.

"Sorry" Ted muttered, following his wife out the door.

"Where did that come from?" Ginny whispered.

"Aunt Ella." Lyra said softly. "Mum didn't mean any of that."

Bellatrix was staring straight ahead, her eyes glassy eyed and her face appeared to be made of stone.

"Lyra wants to be in Slytherin!" Gienah said brightly.

"Gienah!" Lyra whined. "Don't say that to a table of Gryffindors."

"Hey!" Zabini said.

"You're right to be ashamed." George said seriously. "I'm afraid if you become a Slytherin you can no longer be an honorary marauder."

"Nothing like a bit of family drama is there" Sirius said, taking another serving of lasagna.

Bellatrix stood up and left followed by Lupin.

"I think Andromeda's stressed about Narcissa." Gienah murmured to Harry."But I don't see why she'd attack Bella. She was the first to forgive her."

"It could be the recent muggle attacks" said Harry.

"There have been another couple of dementor attacks," Gienah agreed. "And they've found Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been set over it — well, really, I'm surprised he stayed alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters; Uncle Regulus, only managed a few days."

"Yes, well," said Mrs. Weasley, frowning, "perhaps we should talk about something diff—"

"Did you hear about Florean Fortescue, Remus?" asked Bill, who was being plied with wine by Fleur. "The man who ran —"

"— the ice-cream place in Diagon Alley?" Gienah interrupted, with an unpleasant, hollow sensation in the pit of his stomach. "What's happened to him?"

"Dragged off, by the look of his place."

"Why?" asked Ron, while Mrs. Weasley pointedly glared at Bill.

"Who knows? He must've upset them somehow. He was a good man, Florean."

"Talking of Diagon Alley," said Sirius, "looks like Ollivander's gone too."

"The wandmaker?" said Lyra, looking startled.

"That's the one. Shop's empty. No sign of a struggle. No one knows whether he left voluntarily or was kidnapped."

"But wands — what'll people do for wands?"

"They'll make do with other makers," said Lupin. "But Ollivander was the best, and if the other side have got him it's not so good for us."

"I was only there yesterday!" Lyra said.

"Your wand may have been one of the last wands he sold." Sirius said sadly.

After dinner Zabini took GIenah's hand and led her away from the company and out into the gardens. It was a warm starry night.

"Well that was eventful" Zabini said.

"Ha!" Gienah said.

"Mmm" Zabini said, kissing her neck. "Let's go to your bedroom."

"I'm exhausted" Gienah sighed.

"Then we'll sleep." He murmured.

Gienah said goodnight to the lingering guests and went to her bedroom. Ambrosia was asleep. Gienah changed into her nightdress. Zabini slipped into bed in his boxers and held her close as her eyes became heavy with sleep. She had missed this. The ease in the arms of a constant lover.

Zabini's hands began to wonder up her thighs, cupping her buttocks lightly and nuzzling the nape of her neck.

"Blaise." Gienah whispered.

"Gienah" Gienah could hear him smile.

His hands went further down and she gasped when his fingers pressed lightly against her. They hadn't been intimate for two weeks. Zabini had gone to Ethiopia to visit his father and in the last few days they'd gone out for dinner or to the cinema before parting ways. To sleep now felt like a wasted opportunity. Zabini disappeared under the covers and dragged her underwear down. She arched her back when his lips brushed her nether regions. He trailed his kisses to her mouth and entered her gently from behind. They were both too tired to do much more than thrust their hips. It was slow and seductive. She could feel every ridge of his length inside of her, the angle was deliciously tight. His fingers teasingly circled her clitoris and when she came the orgasm stretched out lazily as she jolted beside him. She fell asleep soon after enjoying the feel of their naked bodies moulded together.

 **WANDMAKER MISSING**

Gienah placed the Ollivander article on the blank space of wall away from her other notes and extracts. She didn't know where it fit in the grand scheme of things. So he could provide his force with the best wands? So he could make another, more powerful wand.. She was sure there was something else - more- to the story.

Gienah was sweating. The sun was beating down on her. She could feel the ground change from grass to sand.

"Professor?" Gienah called out nervously. "Can I take off the blindfold now?"

No one answered.

Gienah pulled the blindfold off and saw she was in the middle of nowhere.

"For fucks sake" Gienah swore. She expected to have walked onto a beach on the coast of Wales maybe. But she was in the middle of a dessert. Literally.. There was only sand to see for miles. Gienah then heard a snorting and turned with a cold dread.

She was facing a jabberwock, and not the tame and trained ones on the reserve. The scaly creature was looking at her with a murderous interest. Gienah ducked as it swiped its claws. Gienah twisted and fell back as it swiped again. Growing frustrated it roared and attempted to grab her with its claws.

Gienah jumped and ducked, twisted and turned but the creature was quick and savage. Gienah sent a stinging hex as it snapped its jaws. It howled and thrashed its tail and swiped its claws at the same time. The claw ripped open her back. Gienah growled and sprinted away from it but it was the fastest creature on land. Gienah stopped and waved her wand before pointing it towards the beast. A sandstorm circled the jabberwock and rose it into the sky. Unable to sustain the magic it dropped gracelessly back onto the sand. Waving its vicious head Gienah sent her dagger to its eye. It met her mark and the beast was half blinded. Blood oozed from its eye. Gienah retrieved the dagger and through it again at its open jaw. Retrieving the bloody dagger blood dripped from its biting teeth. Gienah had become unguarded however and the tail caught her unaware. The spike sunk into the side of her as she threw the dagger a third time. Gienah cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Unable to see her it thrashed dangerously right left and centre. Gienah was rolling around in the dirt her back and her sides bleeding heavily. It began to sniff her out. Gienah conjured ropes like devil's snare and trapped its claws to its side before transforming the leaves into roots digging into the ground. It was trapped.

Gienah quickly saw to her wounds. Covered in gauze she began to move forward. She had no idea where she was going. Snape had given her no direction. She guessed she had to find her way home somehow. She was still unable to apparate and the distance was daunting. Gienah transformed into a thestral and urged to find the nearest river. Three or four hours later Gienah found a stream and drank hungrily. Her stomach growled and she made a fire as she looked for some kind of creature to eat. It made her sick to catch the fish and cook it on the open fire but she needed her sustenance. Forcing the fish down she flew once more and saw a caravan speeding through the desert. Gienah sighed and followed the caravan from above. It led into a small village with no shops or floo in sight. She stopped and asked if they could spare any food. An old woman took pity on her and gave her half a loaf of bread and a lump of cheese. Gienah kept moving. Turning into a bird she soared through the scorching sky to the nearest city. Once in a small city called Al-Basra she sneaked into a house and slept in their living room for the night and drank some milk in the early hours and grabbed a few apples and pears for the rest of the day.

Gienah was sick and tired and her wounds were still raw. She cursed Snape with every step. How was she meant to find a wizarding city in the middle of the Sahara. THat evening however she finally saw the city Nouakchott from the distance and picked up her pace, landing behind a block of flats she looked for any sign of magic. She knew there was a spell to detect wizards but she did not know it so she went to the airport and came on board as a beetle in a woman's bag. Once she had arrived she scurried under the seat and fell asleep. Hours later they had arrived in London. Gienah sought out the Leaky Cauldron and flooed to the cottage.

There was no one home. Gienah flooed to the Manor and it was the same. Grimmauld Place, the Tonks, the Weasleys, the reserve. Gienah knew she was being tested but this was too far. She had slain a jabberwock, endured the Sahara and returned to an empty home. Gienah decided to brew a tracking potion but the cottage had no trace of a single stray hair. Screaming Gienah racked her brains.. wondering how she could find them. Gienah had set wards on each of the properties that would notify her with the presence of a witch or wizard. Gienah flew to Spinner's End. She'd never been but she was sure Snape would have protected his house better. Gienah was able to trip the wards and entered through the chimney as a bird. Once inside she cast homenum revelio. There were three people in the property.

Gienah felt a rush of adrenaline. Sirius, Remus and Severus. Gienah went in every room, a dagger ready in her left hand and her wand on her right.

"Come out, come out" Gienah sang.

Then Gienah heard a baby crying.

"Ambrosia!" Gienah cried and ran into the smallest bedroom and sure enough there was a baby on the bed. GIenah ran forward and went to hold the baby but as she held it it turned into dust and fell through her fingertips.

"Relashio!"

Gienah had already ducked and threw a dagger at Sirius. He cried in pain as Gienah stunned him. Gienah silently checked the room for Lupin and Snape but there was nothing. Gienah opened the door and edged near the walls to see if there was any movement.

A spell was going her way but she had prepared her shields and it refracted onto the wall. Gienah threw the dagger blindly but it seemed to have found someone. Gienah acciod the invisible person to her and removed the cloak.

Lupin.

Gienah healed his wound and stunned him. As she stood up she felt a wand poking her back.

"Drop the wand Black." Snape hissed.

Gienah didn't think. She transformed into a wasp and stung him before flying downstairs and waiting for him beneath the stairs.

She heard his steps slowly coming down.

Gienah turned as he reached the grounding and threw a stunner at him but he deflected it. Gienah blasted the bottom of the staircase. He had almost fallen but he'd stepped back. Gienah cast a fire on the top landing. It was devouring the house. She cursed as she remembered Sirius and Remus and extinguished the fire. Snape was standing by the landing, trapped. Or so she thought.

Snape jumped and fell gracefully as he slowed down in the fall. Gienah hit him with a relashio but he shielded the curse and threw a binding curse. Gienah's feet were caught.

"Vanajakshi!" Gienah screamed.

The golden cobra had been watching from around her neck in interest but she slithered down and approached the professor. Distracted she turned into a cobra and back. Free from the binds and binded the professor as he sent spell after spell at the snake finally capturing her in a cage. The binds caught him and his wand dropped. Gienah summoned it to her and put it in her pocket. She smiled at him and walked forward, releasing the snake from its prison.

"Surrender?" Gienah said sweetly.

Snape looked at her as she came closer. Something hit her hard on the head. The chandelier from the ceiling had come undone. She fell to the ground painfully and saw he'd wandlessly managed to maim her. He was struggling with his binds, cutting each bond one by one. Gienah saw two of him but she pointed her wand and stunned him as he attempted to free himself. She then fell into unconsciousness.

"You got a plane back?" Harry raised his eyebrow. "That doesn't sound particularly adventurous."

"I couldn't find a wizarding city" Gienah scowled.

They were having dinner in the Black Manor. It turned out everyone was in Hogwarts when they saw she had got on the plane.

"Nice work with the jabberwock" Sirius said sounding genuinely impressed.

"The thing with the was cruel dad." Gienah said frowning.

"You did good." Lupin said. "Now please eat. You look faint."

Tonks had revived them all a few hours ago. Snape was not happy with the state of his house but again muttered acceptable before ushering her into his fireplace.

"You need to learn to apparate kid." Sirius chuckled. "Taking a plane, ha!"

"What'll it be next time. A dragon, a nest of snakes and ten aurors." Gienah muttered as she took a mouthful of mashed potato.

To her dismay, Lupin looked at her thoughtfully as if considering it.

-ISSUED ON BEHALF OF-

The Ministry of Magic

 **PROTECTING YOUR HOME AND FAMILY AGAINST DARK FORCES**

The Wizarding community is currently under threat from an organization calling itself the Death Eaters. Observing the following simple security guidelines will help protect you, your family, and your home from attack.

1\. You are advised not to leave the house alone.

2\. Particular care should be taken during the hours of darkness. Wherever possible, arrange to complete journeys before night has fallen.

3\. Review the security arrangements around your house, making sure that all family members are aware of emergency measures such as Shield and Disillusionment Charms, and, in the case of underage family members, Side-Along-Apparition.

4\. Agree on security questions with close friends and family so as to detect Death Eaters masquerading as others by use of the Polyjuice Potion (see page 2).

5\. Should you feel that a family member, colleague, friend, or neighbor is acting in a strange manner, contact the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at once. They may have been put under the Imperius Curse (see page 4).

6\. Should the Dark Mark appear over any dwelling place or other building, DO NOT ENTER, but contact the Auror office immediately.

7\. Unconfirmed sightings suggest that the Death Eaters may now be using Inferi (see page 10). Any sighting of an Inferius, or encounter with same, should be reported to the Ministry IMMEDIATELY.

Diagon Alley had changed. The colorful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them. Most of these somber purple posters carried blown-up versions of the security advice on the Ministry pamphlets that had been sent out over the summer, but others bore moving black-and-white photographs of Death Eaters known to be on the loose. Bellatrix Lestrange was sneering from the front of the nearest apothecary. A few windows were boarded up, including those of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. On the other hand, a number of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street. The nearest one, which had been erected outside Flourish and Blotts, under a striped, stained awning, had a cardboard sign pinned to its front:

 **AMULETS** : Effective Against Werewolves, Dementors, and Infer!

A seedy-looking little wizard was rattling armfuls of silver symbols on chains at passersby.

"One for your little girl, sir?" he called at Sirius as they passed, leering at Gienah. "Protect her pretty neck?"

Sirius growled and bared his teeth.

"Sirius darling" Alyssandra sighed. "You don't growl at people. I think we'd better do Madam Malkin's first, Hermione wants new dress robes, and Harry's showing much too much ankle in his school robes, and you must need new ones too, Gienah, you've grown so much — come on, everyone —"

"Aly, it doesn't make sense for all of us to go to Madam Malkin's," said Sirius. "Why don't those three go with Hagrid, and we can go to Flourish and Blotts and get everyone's school-books?"

"I don't know," said Alyssandra anxiously, clearly torn between a desire to finish the shopping quickly and the wish to stick together in a pack. "Hagrid, do you think —- ?"

"Don' fret, they'll be fine with me," said Hagrid soothingly, waving an airy hand the size of a dustbin lid. Alyssandra did not look entirely convinced, but allowed the separation, scurrying off toward Flourish and Blotts with her husband and Ginny while Harry, Gienah, Hermione, and Hagrid set off for Madam Malkin's.

Harry noticed that many of the people who passed them had the same harried, anxious look as Mrs. Weasley, and that nobody was stopping to talk anymore; the shoppers stayed together in their own tightly knit groups, moving intently about their business. Nobody seemed to be shopping alone.

"Migh' be a bit of a squeeze in there with all of us," said Hagrid, stopping outside Madam Malkin's and bending down to peer through the window. "I'll stand guard outside, all right?"

So Harry, Gienah, and Hermione entered the little shop together. It appeared, at first glance, to be empty, but no sooner had the door swung shut behind them than they heard a familiar voice issuing from behind a rack of dress robes in spangled green and blue.

". . . not a child, in case you haven't noticed, Mother. I am perfectly capable of doing my shopping alone."

There was a clucking noise and a voice Harry recognized as that of Madam Malkin, the owner, said, "Now, dear, your mother's quite right, none of us is supposed to go wandering around on our own anymore, it's nothing to do with being a child —"

"Watch where you're sticking that pin, will you!"

A teenage boy with a pale, pointed face and white-blond hair appeared from behind the rack, wearing a handsome set of dark green robes that glittered with pins around the hem and the edges of the sleeves. He strode to the mirror and examined himself; it was a few moments before he noticed Harry, Gienah, and Hermione reflected over his shoulder. His light gray eyes narrowed.

"If you're wondering what the smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in," said Draco Malfoy.

"I don't think there's any need for language like that!" said Madam Malkin, scurrying out from behind the clothes rack holding a tape measure and a wand. "And I don't want wands drawn in my shop either!" she added hastily, for a glance toward the door had shown her Harry and Gienah both standing there with their wands out and pointing at Malfoy. Hermione, who was standing slightly behind them, whispered, "No, don't, honestly, it's not worth it. "

"Yeah, like you'd dare do magic out of school," sneered Malfoy. "Who blacked your eye, Granger? I want to send them flowers."

"That's quite enough!" said Madam Malkin sharply, looking over her shoulder for support. "Madam — please —"

Narcissa Malfoy strolled out from behind the clothes rack.

"Gienah.. Harry." Narcissa smiled. "Draco apologize to the young lady."

"Apologize?!" Malfoy said, outraged.

"You will not turn into your father Draco!" Narcissa said coldly.

"Really, it's fine" Hermione said quickly.

Narcissa was glaring at her son.

"My apologies" Malfoy muttered with difficulty.

"I think this left sleeve could come up a little bit more, dear, let me just —"

"Ouch!" bellowed Malfoy, slapping her hand away. "Watch where you're putting your pins, woman! Mother — I don't think I want these anymore —"

He pulled the robes over his head and threw them onto the floor at Madam Malkin's feet.

Narcissa sighed.

"It's good to see you both." Narcissa said, kissing Gienah on her cheek. "Send everyone my love."

Narcissa left the shop with Malfoy taking care to bang as hard as he could into Harry on the way out.

"Remember the days we spent at the manor" Gienah said sadly watching her leave. "Picnics and dinner parties."

"Barely" Harry snarled. "When did he turn into such a bastard?"

"He's always been unpleasant." Hermione said as she looked through the clothing rack. "Perhaps you brought out another side in him Gienah."

"Got ev'rything?" asked Hagrid brightly when they reappeared at his side.

"Just about," said Harry. "Did you see the Malfoys?"

"Yeah," said Hagrid, unconcerned. "Bu they wouldn' dare make trouble in the middle o' Diagon Alley, Harry. Don' worry about them."

Harry, Gienah, and Hermione exchanged looks, but before they could disabuse Hagrid of this comfortable notion, Sirius, Ginny and Alyssandra appeared clutching heavy packages of books.

"We can pop in at the Apothecary and Eeylops on the way to Fred and George's — stick close, now. . . ." Alyssandra said nervously.

Harry hadn'tbought any ingredients at the Apothecary, seeing that he was no longer studying Potions, but he did buy large boxes of owl nuts for Hedwig and Pigwidgeon at Eeylops Owl Emporium. Then they headed farther along the street in search of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the joke shop run by Fred and George.

"Whoa,"said Harry, stopping in his tracks.

Set against the dull, poster-muffled shop fronts around them, Fred and Georges windows hit the eye like a firework display. Casual passersby were looking back over their shoulders at the windows, and a few rather stunned-looking people had actually come to a halt, transfixed. The left-hand window was dazzlingly full of an assortment of goods that revolved, popped, flashed, bounced, and shrieked; Gienah's eyes began to water just looking at it. The right-hand window was covered with a gigantic poster, purple like those of the Ministry, but emblazoned with flashing yellow letters:

WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT

YOU-KNOW-WHO?

YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT

U-NO-POO-

THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION

THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!

Sirius barked out with laughter.

Gienah led the way into the shop. It was packed with customers; Gienah could not get near the shelves. She stared around, looking up at the boxes piled to the ceiling: Here were the Skiving Snackboxes that the twins had perfected during their last, unfinished year at Hogwarts; Gienah noticed that the Nosebleed Nougat was most popular, with only one battered box left on the shelf. There were bins full of trick wands, the cheapest merely turning into rubber chickens or pairs of briefs when waved, the most expensive beating the unwary user around the head and neck, and boxes of quills, which came in Self-Inking, Spell-Checking, and Smart-Answer varieties. A space cleared in the crowd, and Gienah pushed her way toward the counter, where a gaggle of delighted ten-year-olds was watching a tiny little wooden man slowly ascending the steps to a real set of gallows, both perched on a box that read: reusable hangman — spell it or he'll swing!

Hermione had managed to squeeze through to a large display near the counter and was reading the information on the back of a box bearing a highly colored picture of a handsome youth and a swooning girl who were standing on the deck of a pirate ship.

"'One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic, thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteens. You know," said Hermione, looking up at Harry, "that really is extraordinary magic!"

"For that, Hermione," said a voice behind them, "you can have one for free."

A beaming Fred stood before them, wearing a set of magenta robes that clashed magnificently with his flaming hair.

"How are you, Harry?" They shook hands.

"Come on, Harry, I'll give you a tour."

Harry left Hermione, Ginny and Gienah and followed Fred toward the back of the shop. Gienah looked at the products with pride, remembering the days they'd tested their prototypes in the Gryffindor common room.

"Haven't you girls found our special WonderWitch products yet?" asked Fred. "Follow me, ladies. . . ."

Near the window was an array of violently pink products around which a cluster of excited girls was giggling enthusiastically. Hermione, Gienah and Ginny both hung back, looking wary.

"There you go," said Fred proudly. "Best range of love potions you'll find anywhere."

Ginny raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do they work?" she asked.

"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on the weight of the boy in question —"

"— and the attractiveness of the girl," said George, reappearing suddenly at their side. "But we're not selling them to our sister," he added, becoming suddenly stern, "not when she's already got about five boys on the go from what we've —"

"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie," said Ginny calmly, leaning forward to take a small pink pot off the shelf. "What's this?"

"Guaranteed ten-second pimple vanisher," said Fred. "Excellent on everything from boils to blackheads, but don't change the subject. Are you or are you not currently going out with a boy called Dean Thomas?"

"Yes, I am," said Ginny. "And last time I looked, he was definitely one boy, not five. What are those?"

She was pointing at a number of round balls of fluff in shades of pink and purple, all rolling around the bottom of a cage and emitting high-pitched squeaks.

"Pygmy Puffs," said George. "Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough. So what about Michael Corner?"

"I dumped him, he was a bad loser," said Ginny, putting a finger through the bars of the cage and watching the Pygmy Puffs crowd around it. "They're really cute!"

"They're fairly cuddly, yes," conceded Fred. "But you're moving through boyfriends a bit fast, aren't you?"

Ginny turned to look at him, her hands on her hips. There was such a Mrs. Weasley-ish glare on her face that Harry was surprised Fred didn't recoil.

Harry, Gienah, and Hermione momentarily had an unimpeded view out of the window. Draco Malfoy was hurrying up the street alone. As he passed Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, he glanced over his shoulder. Seconds later, he moved beyond the scope of the window and they lost sight of him.

"Wonder where his mummy is?" said Harry, frowning.

"Given her the slip by the looks of it," said Gienah.

"Why, though?" said Hermione.

Gienah glanced around. Alyssandra and Ginny were bending over the Pygmy Puffs. Sirius was at the back examining a decoy detonator. Fred and George were both helping customers. On the other side of the glass, Hagrid was standing with his back to them, looking up and down the street.

"Get under here, quick," said Harry, pulling his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag. Gienah had turned into a bird and now perched on his shoulder.

"Oh — I don't know, Harry," said Hermione, looking uncertainly toward Alyssandra.

"Come on\" said Harry.

She hesitated for a second longer, then ducked under the cloak with Harry. Nobody noticed them vanish; they were all too interested in Fred and George's products. They squeezed their way out of the door as quickly as they could, but by the time they gained the street, Malfoy had disappeared just as successfully as they had.

"He was going in that direction," murmured Harry as quietly as possible, so that the humming Hagrid would not hear them. "Cmon."

They scurried along, peering left and right, through shop windows and doors, until Hermione pointed ahead.

"That's him, isn't it?" she whispered. "Turning left?"

"Big surprise," whispered Harry.

For Malfoy had glanced around, then slid into Knockturn Alley and out of sight.

"Quick, or we'll lose him," said Harry, speeding up.

"Our feet'Il be seen!" said Hermione anxiously, as the cloak flapped a little around their ankles.

"It doesn't matter," said Harry impatiently. "Just hurry!"

But Knockturn Alley, the side street devoted to the Dark Arts, looked completely deserted. They peered into windows as they passed, but none of the shops seemed to have any customers at all. Gienah supposed it was a bit of a giveaway in these dangerous and suspicious times to buy Dark artifacts — or at least, to be seen buying them.

Hermione gave Harry's arm a hard pinch.

"Ouch!"

"Shh! Look! He's in there!" she breathed in Harry's ear.

They had drawn level with Borgin and Burkes, which sold a wide variety of sinister objects. There in the midst of the cases full of skulls and old bottles stood Draco Malfoy with his back to them, just visible beyond a large black cabinet. Judging by the movements of Malfoy's hands, he was talking animatedly. The proprietor of the shop, Mr. Borgin, an oily-haired, stooping man, stood facing Malfoy. He was wearing a curious expression of mingled resentment and fear.

"If only we could hear what they're saying!" said Hermione.

"We can!" said Harry excitedly. "Hang on — damn —"

He dropped a couple more of the boxes he was still clutching as he fumbled with the largest.

"Extendable Ears, look!"

"Fantastic!" said Hermione, as Harry unraveled the long, flesh- coloured strings and began to feed them toward the bottom of the door. "Oh, I hope the door isn't Imperturbable —"

"No!" said Harry gleefully. "Listen!"

They put their heads together and listened intently to the ends of the strings, through which Malfoy's voice could be heard loud and clear, as though a radio had been turned on. Gienah flew in through the window.

". . . you know how to fix it?"

"Possibly," said Borgin, in a tone that suggested he was unwilling to commit himself. "I'll need to see it, though. Why don't you bring it into the shop?"

"I can't," said Malfoy. "It's got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it."

Gienah saw Borgin lick his lips nervously.

"Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps impossible. I couldn't guarantee anything."

"No?" said Malfoy sneering. "Perhaps this will make you more confident."

He moved toward Borgin and lifted his sleeves. Gienah couldn't see but Borgin was looking very frightened.

"Tell anyone," said Maifoy, "and there will be retribution. You know Fenrir Greyback? He's a family friend. He'll be dropping in from time to time to make sure you're giving the problem your full attention."

"There will be no need for —"

"I'll decide that," said Malfoy. "Well, I'd better be off. And don't forget to keep that one safe, I'll need it."

"Perhaps you'd like to take it now?"

"No, of course I wouldn't, you stupid, little man, how would I look carrying that down the street? Just don't sell it."

"Of course not. . . sir."

"Not a word to anyone, Borgin, and that includes my mother, understand?"

"Naturally, naturally," murmured Borgin, bowing again.

Next moment, the bell over the door tinkled loudly as Malfoy stalked out of the shop looking very pleased with himself. Gienah flew out of the shop and returned to Harry's shoulder. Inside the shop, Borgin remained frozen; his unctuous smile had vanished; he looked worried.

"What was that about?" whispered Hermione, reeling in the Extendable Ears.

"Dunno," said Harry, thinking hard. "He wants something mended . . . and he wants to reserve something in there. . . . Could you see what he pointed at when he said 'that one'?"

"You two stay here," whispered Hermione.

"What are you — ?"

But Hermione had already ducked out from under the cloak. Gienah couldn't hear a thing though she saw Hermione nervously speaking to Borgin before she hurried to the door with Borgin at her heels. As the bell tinkled again, Borgin slammed the door behind her and put up the closed sign.

"Ah well," said Harry, throwing the cloak back over Hermione. "Worth a try—"

Wizard Wheezes, where they were forced to stop so that they could dodge undetected around a very anxious-looking Allysandra and Hagrid, who had clearly noticed their absence. Once in the shop, Harry whipped off the Invisibility Cloak, hid it in his bag, and joined in with the other two when they insisted, in answer to Allysandra's accusations, that they had been in the back room all along, and that she could not have looked properly.

 **AMELIA BONES MISSING**

Celebrated Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has been reported missing by the Bones family, failing to return home one evening. Following a mysterious owl and a correspondence only her secretary was aware of Judge Bones was believed to have apparated from her home following dinner to meet her correspondent and has not been seen since. If anyone may have any information concerning the disappearance please contact the Auror Office by emergency floo.

Gienah, Harry, Lyra and Ambrosia waved goodbye to Sirius and Tonks as the train picked up pace and whistled.

"Papa!" Ambrosia was shrieking, tears falling from her eyes.

"Sweet Morgana" Gienah hissed. "She - won't - let- go".

People were walking by staring at Ambrosia and then at Harry.

"Why is everyone staring at you Harry?" Lyra asked.

Gienah finally pried her fingers from the window and stuck a dummy in her mouth to stop her crying.

"I don't know why I bother taking the train." Gienah sighed.

"Lyra" Harry said as they walked down the corridor looking for an empty compartment. "How about you go and find some friends in your year. Ron and I met on our train journey and Hermione and Gienah met on their first day."

"Ok" Lyra sighed.

"Good luck" Harry smiled and winked at her as she walked the opposite direction.

"Harry" Gienah huffed. "You take her. I've had enough. She's been moody all morning."

Harry put Ambrosia down and allowed her to trail behind him holding the hand of her raggedy Morgana doll.

"Maybe I should have considered leaving her with dad" Gienah sighed.

"Once we're back you'll have Missy." Harry stopped, placed his hands on her shoulder and reassured her. "You've spent the entire holiday with her. You deserve a break. Not even Bella or Tonks see their daughters as much as you do. You deserve a bloody award. I'm proud of you sis."

Gienah nodded with a small smile.

"Genah!"

They looked around and saw Ambrosia had walked into a carriage with Luna. Neville and Deyanira were already inside.

The weather beyond the train windows was as patchy as it had been all summer; they passed through stretches of the chilling mist, then out into weak, clear sunlight. It was during one of the clear spells, when the sun was visible almost directly overhead, that Ron and Hermione entered the compartment at last.

"Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving," said Ron longingly, slumping into the seat beside Harry and rubbing his stomach. "Hi, Neville. Hi, Luna. Deyanira. Guess what?" he added, turning to Harry. "Malfoys not doing prefect duty. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when we passed."

"What did he do when he saw you?"

"The usual," said Ron indifferently, demonstrating a rude hand gesture. "Not like him, though, is it? Well, that is" he did the hand gesture again "But why isn't he out there bullying first years?"

"Dunno," said Harry.

"Maybe he preferred the Inquisitorial Squad," said Hermione. "Maybe being a prefect seems a bit tame after that."

"I don't think so," said Gienah.

The compartment door slid open again and a breathless third-year girl stepped inside.

"I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom, Gienah Black and Harry P-Potter," she faltered, as her eyes met Harry's and she turned scarlet. She was holding out three scrolls of parchment tied with violet ribbon. Perplexed, Harry and Neville took the scroll addressed to each of them and the girl stumbled back out of the compartment.

"What is it?" Ron demanded, as Gienah unrolled his.

"An invitation," said Gienah.

 _Gienah,_

 _I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C._

 _Sincerely, H. Slughorn_

"But what does he want me for?" asked Neville nervously, as though he was expecting detention.

"No idea," said Harry.

"Well, I'm not going." Gienah said. "I stayed up all night with Isla and Rosie - this morning - wouldn't stop whining. Wouldn't even touch her breakfast. Threw all her toys at Missy and cried all the way to the station!"

Ambrosia seemed completely unaware of the state of her mother as she played on the floor with her Mogana doll.

"Am I interrupting something?" Zabini was standing by the open door smirking at her.

"Not in the mood Zabini" Gienah snapped.

Zabini took her hand and pulled her out into the corridor and shut the door before kissing her fiercely against the wall.

"Blaise" Gienah gasped.

He continued down her jaw and down to her neck, her hair twisted into a knot at the nape of her neck.

"Ugh- get a room." Malfoy said in disgust.

Gienah pushed Zabini off of her, breathless from his ministrations.

"Draco" Zabini nodded.

"Blaise" Malfoy said coolly.

Malfoy was looking at Gienah and she noticed that he'd grown taller over the summer. He was half a foot taller and his face looked more chiselled, less pointy and there was a faint trace of stubble around his jaw.

"Draco" Gienah breathed.

"Do contain your hormones Black" Malfoy said pompously. "You don't want to be lumbered with another child before you graduate."

Gienah blushed.

"Call my friends a mudblood again and I'll make sure you won't ever have children." Gienah hissed.

Zabini chuckled.

"Now, now, we're all friends here." Zabini purred.

"Friends Zabini?" Malfoy said politely.

Zabini's eyes flashed.

"Excuse me." Malfoy muttered, and walked past them. His arm brushed Gienah's.

"He doesn't mean it Blaise." Gienah said softly.

"I- I should go." Zabini said and kissed her on the cheek and followed after Malfoy.

Gienah sighed. She wondered when she'd get a bit of peace.


	46. Curses and Promises

Chapter Fifty: **Curses and Promises**

Ron was shovelling jelly into his mouth. It was a rather gruesome sight.

"Will- you- stop- eating?" Hermione said as she hit him repeatedly with her textbook. "Your best friend is missing!"

"Turn around you lunatic" Ron said, rubbing his shoulder.

Gienah looked towards the entrance and saw Harry walking briskly towards them looking a little disgruntled and - there was blood on his face - but he seemed not to have noticed.

"Where've you — blimey, what've you done to your face?" said Ron, goggling at Harry along with everyone else in the vicinity.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" said Harry, grabbing a spoon and squinting at his distorted reflection.

"You're covered in blood" Gienah sighed. "Come here —"

She raised her wand, said "Tergeo!" and siphoned off the dried blood.

"Thanks," said Harry, feeling his now clean face. "How's my nose looking?

"Normal," said Hermione anxiously. "Why shouldn't it? Harry, what happened? We've been terrified!"

"I'll tell you later," said Harry curtly.

"But —" said Hermione.

"Not now, Hermione," said Harry.

"You missed the Sorting, anyway," said Gienah, as Ron dived into a large chocolate gateau.

"Where's Lyra?" asked Harry, taking a piece of treacle tart before looking around the Gryffindor table

"In Ravenclaw" Gienah said happily. "First Ravenclaw in the Black family."

Harry looked to the Ravenclaw table and there she was sitting in between Luna and a first year he'd never seen before.

The tables were cleared and Dumbledore got to his feet at the staff table. The talk and laughter echoing around the Hall died away almost instantly. Gienah hadn't seen him all summer. Though they had a strained relationship due to his overt favoritism towards Harry Gienah couldn't deny Dumbledore was a symbol of light. wisdom and hope and seeing him before them in his rightful place after the Umbridge business was like drinking a vial full of optimism.

"The very best of evenings to you!" he said, smiling broadly, his arms opened wide as though to embrace the whole room.

"What happened to his hand?" gasped Hermione.

Gienah had seen it as soon as he made the gesture and her eyes darted to Professor Snape. His face was a smooth mask of indifference. Dumbledore's right hand was blackened and dead-looking and Gienah had had enough gruesome pictures given to her by Snape over the years to recognize a cursed injury. There were whispers around the room; Dumbledore, merely smiled and shook his purple-and-gold sleeve over his injury.

"Nothing to worry about," he said airily. "Now ... to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you . .."

"His hand was like that when I saw him over the summer," Harry whispered to Gienah and Hermione. "I thought he'd have cured it by now, though ... or Madam Pomfrey would've done."

"It looks as if it's died," said Hermione, with a nauseated expression. "But there are some injuries you can't cure... old curses…and there are poisons without antidotes. . . ."

Gienah didn't need a second look at his hand to know it was beyond curing.

"... pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year, Professor Slughorn"— Slughorn stood up, his bald head gleaming in the candlelight, his big waistcoated belly casting the table into shadow — "is a former colleague of mine who has agreed resume his old post of Potions master."

"Potions?"

"Potions?"

The word echoed all over the Hall as people wondered wheel they had heard right. Gienah pursed her lips. The entire summer they spent reading, duelling, brewing and not once did he think to mention he had finally been accepted for the DADA position. What was he planning? He more than anyone had seen professor after professor come and go, and he now willingly filled a position he knew was cursed?

"Professor Snape, meanwhile," said Dumbledore, raising voice so that it carried over all the muttering, "will be taking the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"But Harry, you said that Slughorn was going to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts!" said Hermione.

"I thought he was!" said Harry

.

Snape, who was sitting on Dumbledore's right, did not stand up his mention of his name; he merely raised a hand in lazy acknowledgment of the applause from the Slytherin table.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. The whole Hall had erupted in a buzz of conversation at the news that Snape had finally achieved his heart's desire. Seemingly oblivious to the sensational nature of the news he had just imparted, Dumbledore said nothing more about staff appointments, but waited a few seconds to ensure that the silence was absolute before continuing.

"Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."

The silence seemed to tauten and strain as Dumbledore spoke.

"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that you teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them — in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety."

Dumbledore's blue eyes swept over the students before he smiled once more.

"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

With the usual deafening scraping noise, the benches moved back and the hundreds of students began to file out of the Great Hall toward their dormitories. Hermione had darted ahead to fulfill her prefect's duty of shepherding the first years, but Ron remained with Harry and Gienah.

"What really happened to your nose?" he asked, once they were at the very back of the throng pressing out of the Hall, and out of earshot of anyone else. Harry proceeded to explain in hushed tones. Gienah withheld the urge to roll her eyes. Malfoy wasn't completely guilty for attacking Harry. Gienah would have done the same if she'd found him in their compartment. She was more irritated by Harry's petty vendetta against Malfoy and Snape. _He is a death eater_ , another voice murmured in her head. Gienah decided not to confront the small voice that had been bothering her since she saw the dark mark on his arm in Borgin and Burkes.

"I saw Malfoy miming something to do with a nose," Ron said darkly.

"Yeah, well, never mind that," said Harry bitterly. "Listen to what he was saying before he found out I was there . . . ."

"Come on, Harry, he was just showing off for Parkinson…. What kind of mission would You-Know-Who have given him?"

Gienah remained quiet. She had not told anyone about having seen the dark mark on Malfoy's arm. If he'd been marked it was likely that he had a mission and Gienah would be sure to find out what.

"How d'you know Voldemort doesn't need someone at Hogwarts? It wouldn't be the first —"

"I wish yeh'd stop sayin' tha name, Harry," said a reproachful voice behind them. Harry looked over his shoulder to see Hagrid shaking his head.

"Dumbledore uses that name," said Harry stubbornly

"Yeah, well, tha's Dumbledore, innit?" said Hagrid mysteriously.

"So how come yeh were late, Harry? I was worried."

"Got held up on the train," said Harry. "Why were you late?"

"I was with Grawp," said Hagrid happily. "Los' track o' the time. He's got a new home up in the mountains now, Dumbledore fixed it — nice big cave. He's much happier than he was in the forest. We were havin' a good chat."

"Really?" said Gienah, taking care not to catch Ron's eye.

"Oh yeah, he's really come on," said Hagrid proudly. "Yeh'll be amazed. I'm thinkin' o' trainin' him up as me assistant."

Ron snorted loudly, but managed to pass it off as a violent sneeze. They were now standing beside the oak front doors.

"Well done Hagrid" Gienah smiled, stepping on Ron's foot.

"Anyway, I'll see yeh tomorrow, firs' lesson's straight after breakfast. Come early an' yeh can say hello ter Buck — I mean, Witherwings!"

Raising an arm in cheery farewell, he headed out of the doors into the darkness.

Harry, Ron and Hermione waved with false smiles plastered on their faces. Not one of them planned to continue with Care of Magical Creatures. Gienah was not looking forward to explaining why she was the only one taking his lesson.

Gienah met Harry, Ron and Hermione by the portrait hole the next morning before breakfast. Gienah was nervously anticipating the year but there was always a sense of a new beginning that sent butterflies to her stomach and made her dress with extra care.

"I love being a sixth year. And were going to be getting free time this year. Whole periods when we can just sit up here and relax."

"We're going to need that time for studying, Ron!" said Hermione, as they set off down the corridor.

"Yeah, but not today," said Ron. "Today's going to be a real doss, I reckon."

"Hold it!" said Hermione, throwing out an arm and halting a passing fourth year, who was attempting to push past her with a lime-green disk clutched tightly in his hand. "Fanged Frisbees banned, hand it over," she told him sternly. The scowling boy handed over the snarling Frisbee, ducked under her arm, and took off after his friends. Ron waited for him to vanish, then tugged the Frisbee from Hermione's grip.

"Excellent, I've always wanted one of these."

Hermione's remonstration was drowned by a loud giggle; Lavender Brown had apparently found Ron's remark highly amusing. Ron looked rather pleased with himself. Gienah looked at Hermione with the corner of her eye - she did not look pleased.

The ceiling of the Great Hall was serenely blue and streaked with frail, wispy clouds, just like the squares of sky visible through the high mullioned windows. Gienah felt her spirits heighten as she sipped her coffee when Malfoy's eyes met hers. Gienah looked away.

After they had eaten, they remained in their places, awaiting Professor McGonagall's descent from the staff table. The distribution of class schedules was more complicated than usual this year, for Professor McGonagall needed first to confirm that everybody had achieved the necessary O.W.L. grades to continue with their chosen N.E.W.T.s.

Hermione was immediately cleared to continue with Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Potions, and shot off to a first period Ancient Runes class without further ado.

Professor McGonagall turned next to Parvati Patil, whose first question was whether Firenze, the handsome centaur, was still teaching Divination.

"He and Professor Trelawney are dividing classes between them this year," said Professor McGonagall, a hint of disapproval in her voice; it was common knowledge that she despised the subject of Divination. "The sixth year is being taken by Professor Trelawney."

Parvati set off for Divination five minutes later looking slightly crestfallen.

"So, Black, Black . . ." said Professor McGonagall, consulting her notes as she turned to Gienah.

"Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, History of Magic. Outstanding Ms. Black. Here you are."

And Professor McGonagall gave her a rare smile.

Gienah blinked and offered her a smile in return but she had already moved on. Gienah looked at her schedule and saw her first lesson was with Hagrid. Gienah set off on a skip towards the grounds.

Gienah joined Hermione for second period. She was already queuing outside, carrying an armful of heavy books and looking put-upon.

"We got so much homework for Runes," she said anxiously. "A fifteen-inch essay, two translations, and I've got to read these by Wednesday!"

"Shame," yawned Ron.

"You wait," she said resentfully. "I bet Snape gives us loads."

The classroom door opened as she spoke, and Snape stepped into the corridor, his sallow face framed as ever by two curtains of greasy black hair. Silence fell over the queue immediately.

"Inside," he said.

The classroom was gloomier than usual, as curtains had been drawn over the windows, and was lit by candlelight. New pictures adorned the walls, many of them showing people who appeared to be in pain, sporting grisly injuries or strangely contorted body parts. Nobody spoke as they settled down, looking around at the shadowy, gruesome pictures.

"I have not asked you to take out your books," said Snape, closing the door and moving to face the class from behind his desk; Hermione hastily dropped her copy of Confronting the Faceless back into her bag and stowed it under her chair. "I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention."

"You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe. Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be more advanced."

Snape set off around the edge of the room, speaking now in a lower voice; the class craned their necks to keep him in view.

"The Dark Arts," said Snape, "are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."

Gienah smirked. It was surely one thing to respect the Dark Arts as a dangerous enemy, another to speak of them, as Snape was doing, with a loving caress in his voice?

"Your defenses," said Snape, a little louder, "must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures - he indicated a few of them as he swept past - "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse" - he waved a hand toward a witch who was clearly shrieking in agony - "feel the Dementor's Kiss" - a wizard lying huddled and blank-eyed, slumped against a wall - "or provoke the aggression of the Inferius" - a bloody mass upon ground.

". . . you are, I believe, complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air. Snape took his time looking around at everybody else, making sure he had no choice, before saying curtly, "Very well - Miss Granger?"

"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform," said Hermione, "which gives you a split-second advantage."

"An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six," said Snape dismissively (over in the corner, Malfoy sniggered), "but correct in essentials. Yes, those who progress in using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some" - his gaze lingered maliciously upon Harry once more - "lack."

"You will now divide," Snape went on, "into pairs. One partner will attempt jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on."

A reasonable amount of cheating ensued; many people were merely whispering the incantation instead of saying it aloud. Gienah lazily repelled the jinx Hermione threw at her and ten minutes later Hermione too was successful.

Ron, who was supposed to be jinxing Harry, was purple in the face, his lips tightly compressed to save himself from the temptation of muttering the incantation. Harry had his wand raised, waiting

on tenterhooks to repel a jinx that seemed unlikely ever to come.

"Pathetic, Weasley," said Snape, after a while. "Here - let me show you -"

He turned his wand on Harry so fast that Harry reacted instinctively; all thought of nonverbal spells forgotten, he yelled, "Protego!"

His Shield Charm was so strong Snape was knocked off-balance and hit a desk. The whole class had looked around and now watched as Snape righted himself, scowling.

"Do you remember me telling you we are practicing nonverbal spells, Potter?"

"Yes," said Harry stiffly.

"Yes, sir."

"There's no need to call me 'sir,' Professor." Several people gasped, including Hermione. Behind Snape, however , Ron, Dean, and Seamus grinned appreciatively. Gienah just shook her head. They would never get along.

"Detention, Saturday night, my office," said Snape. "I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter . . . not even 'the Chosen One.'"

When they arrived in the dungeons they saw that there were only a dozen people progressing to N.E.W.T. level. Crabbe and Goyle had evidently failed to achieve the required O.W.L. grade, but four Slytherins had made it through, including Zabini and Malfoy. Four Ravenclaws were there, and one Hufflepuff, Ernie Macmillan. Zabini winked at her as she joined the line.

"Harry," Ernie said portentously, holding out his hand as Harry approached, "didn't get a chance to speak in Defense Against The Dark Arts this morning. Good lesson, I thought, but Shield Charms are old hat, of course, for us old D.A. lags . . . And how are you, Gienah - Hermione?"

Before they could say more than "fine," the dungeon door opened and Slughorn's belly preceded him out of the door. As they filed into the room, his great walrus mustache curved above his beaming mouth, and he greeted Harry and Zabini with particular enthusiasm.

The dungeon was, most unusually, already full of vapors and odd smells. Gienah sniffed interestedly as they passed large, bubbling cauldrons. The three Slytherins took a table together, as did the four Ravenclaws. Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared a table with Ernie. Gienah reluctantly took her seat near Malfoy. They chose the one nearest a gold-colored cauldron that was emitting one of the most seductive scents Gienah had ever inhaled: Somehow it reminded her simultaneously of cinnamon, apples, and the morning air after it had rained the night before. She found that she was breathing very slowly and deeply and that the potion's fumes seemed to be filling her up like drink. A great contentment stole over her.

"Now then, now then, now then," said Slughorn, whose massive outline was quivering through the many shimmering vapors. "Scales out, everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies

of Advanced Potion-Making. . . ."

Zabini raised her eyebrow as she took her seat diagonal to him. Gienah didn't respond.

"Theodore" Malfoy drawled. "Do allow Ms. Black to sit near her beaux - or - wait what was it again? Fiance in waiting? What do you call the boyfriend proposes but gets rejected and lingers around anyway?"

Gienah blushed and looked at Zabini sharply but he was clenching his jaw, looking coolly at Malfoy.

"Really Gienah" Malfoy said, sneering as he looked at her. "It's considered cruel to keep the man waiting for an answer that will remain a resounding no."

"Shut up" Gienah hissed.

"Blaise, you really should have expected it." Malfoy continued. "She said no to Diggory and proceeded to have his baby. I dare say she'll do it her whole life. Take men for their children and leave them to rot."

Gienah just stared at him, speechless- where was all this coming from?

"Now then," said Slughorn, returning to the front of the class and inflating his already bulging chest so that the buttons on his waistcoat threatened to burst off, "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?"

Hermione's well-practiced hand hit the air before anybody else's; Slughorn pointed at her.

"It's Veritaserum, a colorless, odorless potion that forces the, drinker to tell the truth," said Hermione.

"Very good, very good!" said Slughorn happily. "Now," he continued, pointing at the cauldron nearest the Ravenclaw table, "this one here is pretty well known. . . . Featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately too . . . Who can - ?"

Hermione's hand was fastest once more.

"lt's Polyjuice Potion, sir," she said.

"Excellent, excellent! Now, this one here . . . yes, my dear?" said Slughorn, now looking slightly bemused, as Hermione's hand punched the air again.

"It's Amortentia!"

"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask," said Slughorn, who was looking mightily impressed, "but I assume you know what it does?"

"It's the most powerful love potion in the world!" said Hermione.

"I suppose you'd know all about that" Malfoy said bitterly.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Gienah snapped.

"Just making an observation." Malfoy said coolly.

'May I ask your name, my dear?" said Slughorn to Hermione.

"How does it feel sitting near an arse kisser?" Malfoy smirked. "I suppose she does it to you too - hw else does she expect to get anyw-"

Gienah had wandlessly silenced him. Gienah glanced at Zabini and saw that his jaw was set hard and he was looking at the pair of them in distaste.

"No. I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggle-born, you see."

Gienah saw Malfoy make a crude hand gesture to Nott; both of them sniggered, but Slughorn showed no dismay; on the contrary, he beamed and looked from Hermione to Harry, who was sitting next to her. Gienah kicked Malfoy under the table.

"-twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger," said Slughorn genially.

Malfoy looked rather as he had done the time Hermione had punched him in the face.

"And now," said Slughorn, "it is time for us to start work."

"Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one," said Ernie Macmillan , pointing at a small black cauldron standing on Slughorn's desk. The potion within was splashing about merrily; it was the color of molten gold, and large drops were leaping like goldfish above the surface, though not a particle had spilled.

"Oho," said Slughorn again. Gienah was sure that Slughorn had not forgotten the potion at all, but had waited to be asked for dramatic effect. "Yes. That. Well, that one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis. I take it," he turned, smiling, to look at Hermione, who had let out an audible gasp, "that you know what Felix Felicis does, Miss Granger?"

"It's liquid luck," said Hermione excitedly. "It makes you lucky!"

The whole class seemed to sit up a little straighter. Malfoy was at last giving Slughorn his full and undivided attention.

"Quite right, take another ten points for Gryffindor. Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis," said Slughorn. "Desperately tricky to make, and disastrous to get wrong. However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavors tend to succeed ... at least until the effects wear off."

"Why don't people drink it all the time, sir?" said Terry Boot eagerly.

"Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence," said Slughorn. "Too much of a good thing, you know. . . highly toxic in large quantities. But taken

sparingly, and very occasionally . . ."

"And that," said Slughorn, apparently coming back to earth, "is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson."

There was silence in which every bubble and gurgle of the surrounding potions seemed magnified tenfold.

"One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis," said Slughorn, taking a minuscule glass bottle with a cork in it out of his pocket and showing it to them all. "Enough for twelve hours' luck. From dawn till dusk, you will be lucky in everything you attempt."

"Now, I must give you warning that Felix Felicis is a banned substance in organized competitions . . . sporting events, for instance, examinations, or elections. So the winner is to use it on an ordinary day only . . . and watch how that ordinary day becomes extraordinary!"

"So," said Slughorn, suddenly brisk, "how are you to win fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of Advanced Potion Making. We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death. I know it is more complex than anything you have attempted before, and I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody. The person who does best, however, will win little Felix here. Off you go!"

There was a scraping as everyone drew their cauldrons toward them and some loud clunks as people began adding weights to their scales, but nobody spoke. The concentration within the room was almost tangible.

Everyone kept glancing around at what the rest of the class was doing; this was both an advantage and a disadvantage of Potions, that it was hard to keep your work private. Within ten minutes, the

whole place was full of bluish steam.

"Sir, I think you knew my grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy?"

"Yes," said Slughorn, without looking at Malfoy, "I was sorry to hear he had died, although of course it wasn't unexpected, dragon pox at his age. . . ."

Gienah crushed her bean with the flat side of the dagger as Snape had taught her. She continued to add a clockwise stir after every seventh counterclockwise stir. The potion turned pale pink. Malfoy looked over at her potion and scowled. His was the colour of licorice.

"And time's . . . up!" called Slughorn. "Stop stirring, please!"

Gienah turned to face Slughorn when she heard a plop. Turning sharply she saw her perfect potion was rapidly turning black.

"You miserable git" Gienah hissed.

" _Sscare him_ " Gienah said in parseltongue to Vanajakshi, though the hissing she had uttered seemed to do the job.

"The clear winner!" he cried to the dungeon. "Excellent, excellent, Harry! Good lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent. She was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was! Here you are, then, here you are - one bottle of Felix Felicis, as promised, and use it well!"

Gienah kicked Malfoy under the table again.

Gienah went straight to the library after dinner and was joined by Ginny. Zabini came in a few minutes later and took his usual seat, glaring at her so often. Gienah wasn't in the mood. Not after Malfoy. Gienah felt Ginny stiffen but continue with her essay. Gienah continued reading The Key to Immortality. It was a book she had found in the library at the Black Manor. It was banned under the Regulation Act in 1872 so she was reading it under the guise that it was a potions textbook. Gienah read the third chapter concerned with Anchoring the Soul. it spoke behind the theory of splitting the soul and anchoring the fragment in an object. So long the object survived the person would be immortal. The instructions were not given in the book and much warning stressed in executing such an act.

 _Although of the soul we are still poorly knowledgeable one thing is indisputable. The soul is pure and whole and this bastardization can only breed unspeakable evil._

Gienah felt her heart beat faster.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _Aquarius said her first word! She said dada and Aly missed it and was feeling all guilty and wondered if she should go part-time with the training and I reassured her and now all is well._

 _Well, not great on the Order front. Search for Amelia Bones reached a dead end. Snape has confirmed Ollivander is alive and… surviving. Voldemort seems to have other plans. He's been abroad a few times apparently but death eater activity continues and I'm not talking dementor attacks and muggle baiting either. I fear there is death eater influence in the senior ranks of the ministry. Ella is keeping an eye out which Kingsley, Tonks and Arthur can't really do seeing as they're jobs are so active. She's been brilliant but she's still peeved off she has to pass the information through me to the order. Fair enough I say but to be honest the meetings are vague at the moment and Dumbledore's occupied with his travels and no one knows where he goes. Of course, he must have his reasons - but I wish I could be more useful. I have something in mind I'm working with Alastor. I'll show you in the summer if it all goes to plan._

 _Love,_

 _Sirius_

"What is the incantation to extinguish fiendfyre?"

"There isn't one. You must will to control the creature with the following wand movement." Gienah proceeded to make the wand movement.

"How does one seal a curse upon an object?"

"For each object a precise incantation may be used however in most cases the killing curse would suffice, even if the object is not cursed to kill."

"How does one repel inferi?"

"Light."

"How does one destroy inferi?"

"It cannot be done without destroying the link to the master."

"What poisons rival the destruction of Basilisk venom?"

"The venom of a Great Spider, now believed to be extinct."

"I have to say Ms. Black.. I am impressed." Snape said. "Ten points to Gryffindor."

Gienah smiled and began putting her books away.

"Gienah, there is something I may have to ask of you in the near future.."

"Professor?"

"There will be a time when I will no longer be trusted by the Order." Snape said frankly. "They will believe that I have betrayed them and with good reason."

Gienah blinked at him.

"But you would never-"

"I have not finished. When that time comes you will not press for my innocence. Nor will you seek me out. Do I have your word?"

"Professor" Gienah laughed weakly. "You cannot be serious."

"You will continue on your mission. You have heard the prophecy and while Potter may be the ... chosen one. You, Granger and Weasley will play a great part in defeating the dark lord. Their belief in my treachery will be paramount to the dark lord's downfall. Do I have your word?"

Gienah looked at him, pleading him..

"Professor, they will wish to kill you."

"I am aware of that fact."

"And the death eaters if they ever found out."

"They will not - until the end." Snape said finally. "Your word Gienah."

"You have it." Gienah whispered.

Harry finished telling them about his first lesson with Dumbledore. Gienah felt a pang of sympathy for Tom Riddle. The last of the Slytherins had lived in squalor and she could all too well visualize the cottage inhabited by the Gaunt's.

"The history of the dark lord." Ron whistled. "It's as grim as the man himself."

"I wonder why he's giving you history lessons." Gienah thought out loud, a frown marring her face.

"It is fascinating" Hermione said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Yes but there must be a reason." Gienah said reasonably. "Why would his past tell us how he'd conquered death?"

The question lingered in the room. Ambrosia was falling asleep in Ron's lap and he himself was drowsy from the fumes of the crackling fire. Gienah wrote down everything about Riddle's family and added the card to her wall.

As Hermione had predicted, the sixth years' free periods were not the hours of blissful relaxation Ron had anticipated, but times in which to attempt to keep up with the vast amount of homework they were being set. Not only were they studying as though they had exams every day, but the lessons themselves had become more demanding than ever before.

Nonverbal spells were now expected, not only in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but in Charms and Transfiguration too. Gienah had little problem with nonverbal spells as she had begun to master the very basics of wandless magic. Snape's lessons were as ruthless as ever. It was a relief to get outside into the greenhouses; they were dealing with more dangerous plants than ever in Herbology, but at least they were still allowed to swear loudly if the Venomous Tentacula seized them unexpectedly from behind.

Muggle studies was a welcome break in the weekends. They had passed all their subjects and were now beginning their A Levels. Gienah was at a complete loss and ended up selecting History, English Literature, Philosophy, Physics and Biology. Both Harry and Ron were doing all the Sciences and Maths while Hermione did the same subjects as her including Maths. Sirius had to hire another tutor and spent a good few months seeking a qualified teacher in the wizarding world. Harry and Ron left their classes pleased with their new professor if their smiles were anything to go by. A squib by the name of Elena Clinton.

"She's- she's- the most-" Ron struggled to find the words.

"In love Ron?" Gienah laughed.

"I can't wait to start forensics." Harry said seriously.

"I can't wait" Hermione said enviously as they went down for lunch.

"Have you thought about what degree you want to do yet?" Hermione asked as they took their seats.

"Nope" Gienah frowned.

"There's no rush" Hermione reassured her.

Gienah had sat near Ginny and Deyanira and dug into an aubergine bake with relish. She had missed breakfast and her stomach had rumbled throughout the mornings lessons.

"How was philosophy?" Ginny asked.

"Bloody brilliant" Gienah said. "It's actually extremely useful for muggles _and_ wizards."

"Promotes rational and lateral thinking." Hermione agreed.

"We did philosophy as part of our religious studies course in school." Deyanira remarked. "Moral philosophy was pretty good."

At that moment Hagrid walked past them to take his seat at the table. He didn't say hello. Harry looked guilty.

"There's only five students in our Care of Magical Creatures Class." Gienah said once he was out of earshot.

"Alright alright!" Ron said defensively.

"We need to see Hagrid" Hermione said anxiously.

"We'll go down after Quidditch," Harry assured her. "But trials might take all morning, the number of people who have applied."

"I dunno why the team's this popular all of a sudden."

"Oh, come on, Harry," said Hermione, suddenly impatient. "It's not Quidditch that's popular, it's you! You've never been more interesting, and frankly, you've never been more fanciable."

Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. Hermione spared him one look of disdain before turning back to Harry.

"Everyone knows you've been telling the truth now, don't they? The whole Wizarding world has had to admit that you were right about Voldemort being back and that you really have fought him twice in the last two years and escaped both times. And now they're calling you 'the Chosen One' — well, come on, can't you see why people are fascinated by you?"

"And you've been through all that persecution from the Ministry when they were trying to make out you were unstable and a liar. You can still see the marks on the back of your hand where that evil woman made you write with your own blood, but you stuck to your story anyway. ..."

"You can still see where those brains got hold of me in the Min-istry, look," said Ron, shaking back his sleeves.

"And it doesn't hurt that you've grown about a foot over the summer either," Hermione finished, ignoring Ron.

"I'm tall," said Ron inconsequentially, looking at Hermione. Gienah looked at Ron with a raised eyebrow; although they were both hopeless.

The post owls arrived, swooping down through rain-flecked windows, scattering everyone with droplets of water. Most people were receiving more post than usual; anxious parents were keen to hear from their children and to reassure them, in turn, that all was well at home.

Hermione and Gienah received the day's copy of the Daily Prophet. She unfolded it hastily and scanned the front page.

"Anyone we know dead?" asked Ron in a determinedly casual voice; he posed the same question every time Hermione opened her paper.

"No, but there have been more dementor attacks," said Hermione, her brows furrowed as she skimmed the article. Gienah recieved another letter from Hermes.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _Remus has gone off on another mission for the order. It's been miserable since. There's barely anyone around the house save Winky and she's not the most sociable elf - though I can't complain. She's a wonderful carer._

 _I'm pregnant. There I said it. You must be bored of hearing the news from all of us but there you are. I'm due in December with twins. Fingers crossed for a boy. I never thought I'd have a large family but with Remus, I'm not scared or resentful.. it feels natural._

 _Work is frantic. Obliviators are being called right left and centre._

 _Yours,_

 _Cedrella_

When they left the Gryffindor table five minutes later to head down to the Quidditch pitch. When Ron drew level with them, Parvati suddenly nudged Lavender, who looked around and gave Ron a wide smile. Ron blinked at her, then returned the smile uncertainly. His walk instantly became something more like a strut. Hermione looked cold and distant all the way down to the stadium through the cool, misty drizzle, and departed to find a place in the stands without wishing Ron good luck. Gienah sat on the benches looking mournfully at Harry and Ron.

"Remind me again why you passed the captaincy to Harry" Hermione said looking at her morose friend.

"I'm pregnant Hermione" Gienah said after looking around. "I spend most of my time in mortal danger without throwing myself in front of bludgers."

The trials took most of the morning. Half of Gryffindor House seemed to have turned up, from first years who were nervously clutching a selection of the dreadful old school brooms, to seventh years who towered over the rest, looking coolly intimidating.

They spent an hour on the stalls watching some miserable flying.

"If there's anyone else here who's not from Gryffindor," roared Harry, who was starting to get seriously annoyed, "leave now, please!"

Gienah laughed when she heard Harry yell, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

After two hours, many complaints, and several tantrums, one involving a crashed Comet Two Sixty and several broken teeth, Harry had found himself three Chasers: Katie Bell, returned to the team after an excellent trial; a new find called Demelza Robins, who was particularly good at dodging Bludgers; and Ginny, who had out flown all the competition and scored seventeen goals to boot.

"That's my final decision and if you don't get out of the way of the Keepers I'll hex you," he bellowed.

Jimmy Peakes, a short but broad-chested third-year boy who had managed to raise a lump the size of an egg on the back of Harry's head with a ferociously hit Bludger, and Ritchie Coote, who looked weedy but aimed well.

They now joined Katie, Demelza, and Ginny in the stands to watch the selection of their last team member. All the rejected players and a number of people who had come down to watch after a lengthy breakfast had joined the crowd. As each Keeper flew up to the goal hoops, the crowd roared and jeered in equal measure.

None of the first five applicants saved more than two goals apiece. Cormac McLaggen saved four penalties out of five. On the last one, however, he shot off in completely the wrong direction; the crowd laughed and booed and McLaggen returned to the ground grinding his teeth. Gienah tutted as Hermione stowed her wand away guiltily.

"Hermione" Gienah said after debating with herself for the last half hour. "Are you ever going to tell Ron you fancy him?"

Hermione spluttered. Gienah would have enjoyed her discomfort if the past two years hadn't caused her such a prolonged discomfort.

"I- How- Of course not!" Hermione finally confessed.

"He likes you." Gienah said quietly. "He gets jealous when you write to Krum, or when you compliment Harry and defensive when McLaggen leers at you and Malfoy calls you the m-word."

"Harry gets angry too" Hermione said.

"Harry doesn't get jealous." Gienah said finally as they watched Ron save the fifth penalty.

"His sister didn't really try," said McLaggen menacingly. There was a vein pulsing in his temple. "She gave him an easy save."

"Rubbish," said Harry coldly. "That was the one he nearly missed."

McLaggen took a step nearer Harry, who stood his ground this time.

"Give me another go."

"No," said Harry. "You've had your go. You saved four. Ron saved five. Ron's Keeper, he won it fair and square. Get out of my way."

"You did brilliantly, Ron!"

Hermione was running towards Ron from the stands; Gienah saw Lavender walking off the pitch, arm in arm with Parvati, a rather grumpy expression on her face. Ron looked extremely pleased with himself and even taller than usual as he grinned at the team and at Hermione.

After fixing the time of their first full practice for the following Thursday, they bade good-bye to the rest of the team and headed off toward Hagrid's. A watery sun was trying to break through the clouds now and it had stopped drizzling at last.

"I thought I was going to miss that fourth penalty," Ron was saying happily. "Tricky shot from Demelza, did you see, had a bit of spin on it —"

"Yes, yes, you were magnificent," said Hermione, looking amused.

"I was better than that McLaggen anyway," said Ron in a highly satisfied voice. "Did you see him lumbering off in the wrong direction on his fifth? Looked like he'd been Confunded. ..."

The great gray hippogriff, Buckbeak, was tethered in front of Hagrid's cabin. He clicked his razor-sharp beak at their approach and turned his huge head toward them.

"Oi!" said a loud voice.

Hagrid had come striding around the corner of his cabin wearing a large flowery apron and carrying a sack of potatoes. His enormous boarhound, Fang, was at his heels; Fang gave a booming bark and bounded forward.

"Git away from him! He'll have yer fingers — oh. It's yeh lot."

Fang was jumping up at Gienah and Ron, attempting to lick their ears. Hagrid stood and looked at them all for a split second, then turned and strode into his cabin, slamming the door behind him.

"Oh dear!" said Hermione, looking stricken.

"Don't worry about it," said Harry grimly. He walked over to the door and knocked loudly. "Hagrid! Open up, we want to talk to you!"

There was no sound from within.

"If you don't open the door, we'll blast it open!" Harry said, pulling out his wand.

"Harry!" said Hermione, sounding shocked. "You can't possibly —"

"Yeah, I can!" said Harry. "Stand back —"

But before he could say anything else, the door flew open again as Harry had known it would, and there stood Hagrid, glowering down at him and looking, despite the flowery apron, positively alarming.

"I'm a teacher!" he roared at Harry. "A teacher, Potter! How dare yeh threaten ter break down my door!"

"I'm sorry, sir" said Harry, emphasizing the last word as he stowed his wand inside his robes.

Hagrid looked stunned. "Since when have yeh called me 'sir'?"

"Since when have you called me 'Potter'?"

"Oh, very clever," growled Hagrid. "Very amusin'. That's me outsmarted, innit? All righ', come in then, yeh ungrateful little . . ."

Mumbling darkly, he stood back to let them pass. Hermione scurried in after Harry, looking rather frightened.

"Well?" said Hagrid grumpily, as the four of them sat down around his enormous wooden table, Fang laying his head immediately upon Gienah's knee and drooling all over her robes. "What's this? Feelin' sorry for me? Reckon I'm lonely or summat?"

"No," said Harry at once. "We wanted to see you."

"We've missed you!" said Hermione tremulously.

"Missed me, have yeh?" snorted Hagrid. "Yeah. Righ'."

He stomped around, brewing up tea in his enormous copper kettle, muttering all the while. Finally he slammed down three bucket-sized mugs of mahogany-brown tea in front of them and a plate of his rock cakes.

There was a funny squelching sound and they all looked around: Hermione let out a tiny shriek, and Ron leapt out of his seat and hurried around the table away from the large barrel standing in the corner that they had only just noticed. It was full of what looked like foot-long maggots, slimy, white, and writhing.

"What are they, Hagrid?" asked Harry, trying to sound interested rather than revolted, but putting down his rock cake all the same.

"Jus' giant grubs," said Hagrid.

"And they grow into ... ?" said Ron, looking apprehensive.

"They won' grow inter nuthin'," said Hagrid. "I got 'em ter feed ter Aragog."

And without warning, he burst into tears.

"Hagrid!" cried Hermione, leaping up, hurrying around the table the long way to avoid the barrel of maggots, and putting an arm around his shaking shoulders. "What is it?"

"It's. . . him . .." gulped Hagrid, his beetle-black eyes streaming as he mopped his face with his apron. "It's . . . Aragog. ... I think he's dyin'. . , . He got ill over the summer an' he's not gettin' better... I don' know what I'll do if he ... if he ... We've bin tergether so long. ..."

"Is there — is there anything we can do?" Hermione asked, ignoring Ron's frantic grimaces and head-shakings.

"I don' think there is, Hermione," choked Hagrid, attempting to stem the flood of his tears. "See, the rest o' the tribe ... Aragog's family . . . they're gettin' a bit funny now he's ill... bit restive ... I don' reckon it'd be safe fer anyone but me ter go near the colony at the mo'," Hagrid finished, blowing his nose hard on his apron and looking up. "But thanks fer offerin', Hermione. ... It means a lot. . .."

After that, the atmosphere lightened considerably, for although neither Harry nor Ron had shown any inclination to go and feed giant grubs to a murderous, gargantuan spider, Hagrid seemed to take it for granted that they would have liked to have done and became his usual self once more.

"Ar, I always knew yeh'd find it hard ter squeeze me inter yer timetables," he said gruffly, pouring them more tea. "Even if yeh applied fer Time-Turners —"

"We couldn't have done," said Hermione. "We smashed the entire stock of Ministry Time-Turners when we were there last summer. It was in the Daily Prophet."

"Ar, well then," said Hagrid. "There's no way yeh could've done it. ... I'm sorry I've bin — yeh know — I've jus' bin worried about Aragog ... an I did wonder whether, if Professor Grubbly-Plank had bin teachin' yeh —"

At which all four of them stated categorically and untruthfully that Professor Grubbly-Plank, who had substituted for Hagrid a few times, was a dreadful teacher, with the result that by the time Hagrid waved them off the premises at dusk, he looked quite cheerful.

"I'm starving," said Harry, once the door had closed behind them and they were hurrying through the dark and deserted grounds. "And I've got that detention with Snape tonight, I haven't got much time for dinner. ..."

As they came into the castle they spotted Cormac McLaggen entering the Great Hall. It took him two attempts to get through the doors; he ricocheted off the frame on the first attempt. Ron merely guffawed gloatingly and strode off into the Hall after him.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _Aly's pregnant with two boys!_

 _Love,_

 _Your father_

Halfway through October came their first trip of the term to Hogsmeade. The perfect opportunity to get started on the endless list of Christmas gifts she had to purchase. She was also rather nervous. It was the first time her and Zabini would be openly together in public. Gienah dressed carefully that morning. Still cold outside she opted for a deep red velvet dress. She took care to pin the twisted sides of her hair back into a slight crown and placed a comb -which she feared was encrusted with real rubies Sirius had given her from the family vault- at the centre.

When she saw him he stared for a few moments before saying quietly "It's rather chilly. We should stay inside for my heal- your health." Gienah laughed and took his hand, walking him to the last carriage. But it wasn't empty. Malfoy was inside alone, not looking himself.

"Sorry" Gienah said quickly. "We'll walk".

"Don't be silly." Zabini said tightening his hold on her hand. "We can share a carriage."

"Blaise." Malfoy said, still looking out of the carriage.

"Draco." Gienah said quietly. "Are you alright?"

Malfoy turned and looked at her. His gaze lingered in a way that made her shiver. He looked quite handsome in his muggle attire. A ruffled white shirt, tailored waistcoat perfectly snug on his slim waist and shoes that looked like they'd just been shined.

"You are looking well" Malfoy said, nodding at her before turning his gaze to the window once more.

 _I wish I could say the same,_ Gienah thought. While he cut a fine figure, there were dark circles under his eyes and his skin had a grey tinge.

Once they arrived Zabini helped her off of the carriage, Gienah spared one look behind her before walking down the frosty path into the village. Could it be the fark mark that burdened him? He was being somewhat civil for the first time in months.

Harry, Ron and Hermione ran into the library that evening and saw Gienah at her usual seat in the library finishing her essay on King Lear.

"You missed dinner" Harry said.

"I was working on my essay" Gienah said with a satisfied smile. "Finished!"

"Gienah-" Hermione began.

"What's happened?" Gienah said, now looking alert as she realized the three of them had been running and Harry looked particularly stricken.

"Katie Bell touched a cursed necklace" Harry said. "On her way back from Hogsmeade."


	47. Politskovskaya, Inferos and Vienna

Chapter Fifty-One: **Politskovskaya, Infernos and Vienna**

Saturday evening Gienah wrote the poisoned necklace incident on a card and placed it near Malfoy's visit to Borgin & Burkes. She had seen him beforehand alone and then again at the Three Broomsticks. All evidence pointed to him except for the infuriating fact that she had seen him the entire time, drinking at the bar while she sat with Zabini. He hadn't moved when Katie Bell had left the pub. She knew this because she had waved to Hermione and Harry as they left and Bell had left before them.

"Coffee?" Missy came in with a steaming cup of gorgeous smelling coffee. Gienah smiled at the elf and took it graciously.

"Another card." Missy said sadly.

"I'm afraid so." Gienah said quietly. "And I think I know who's behind it."

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _Cassie adores your present. I tell you she flies better than she walks._

 _I'm working round the clock in the office. The auror office is seriously understaffed. We've had to lower the grades for auror training to get more bodies out there. It's ridiculous. I've been placed in training and half of them are hopeless._

 _Moody and Sirius are up to something. He's been coming round to work a few times a week. I doubt it's a surprise birthday party._

 _Tonks_

Gienah asked to be excused from her lessons Sunday morning saying she had an appointment with her gynecologist. She had no such appointment and after a rushed breakfast she flooed to St. Mungo's and made a show of believing she had an appointment. Once they had confirmed her appointment was in the next week she left apologizing loudly. There was no harm in being thorough. Gienah caught a taxi to Brixton and went to the nearest library to ask for their phone directory. She found two orphanages in the local area and one was an all boys so she was left with the Nightingale Orphanage.

Gienah left with a scrap of paper saying Nightingale Orphanage, 7 Parsons Street, Brixton. It was a half an hour walk to the orphanage. The street was dark and dingy with large houses in poor condition. The trees were gnarled and dead looking. The orphanage itself three floors high, a classic Victorian house with black iron gates surrounding the vicinity. Gienah looked sadly at the house, it reminded her of A Series of Unfortunate Events and wondered how Deyanira had survived such a dreary home.

Gienah pressed the buzzer at the door and waited patiently. Gienah was dressed in a pinafore that resembled a muggle school uniform. She charmed her hair blonde and turned her skin colour a few shades lighter with a sprinkling of freckles over her nose and cheeks.

A large woman answered the door with rosy cheeks and a tight bun.

"Good morning Ma'am" Gienah stuttered holding the slight swell of her stomach. "I would- I would like - I mean to say - Is it possible to speak with the matron?"

The woman looks at her sympathetically and invited her in. The ground floor had a small entrance hall and a large staircase that led to the rooms. She was directed into a cramped office and asked to take a seat while she called upon the matron. Gienah smiled and as soon as the door closed she locked the door, raced to the filing cabinet and searched for R. Finding Deyanira's file she duplicated it and placed it in her bag. In two minutes she was sat back in the chair though breathing a little heavily.

"Ms. Smith" The grey haired women said as she sat down. "How can we help you?"

Gienah left half an hour later with a small booklet in her hand and false tears staining her cheeks reading the file as she walked towards the main road. Deyanira Rookwood, born September 1980. Admitted to the Nightingale Orphanage in January 1982 upon the death of her mother. Gienah turned to return to the local library and hoped they would have newspaper archives from 1982.

"We do indeed my dear" The elderly man smiled and walked her to a room on the second floor.

"This is the local records here." He pointed at one aisle. "The years are marked on the shelves."

"Thank you" Gienah said smiling graciously at the man.

He left her in peace as she looked for the year 1982. Finding the month of January she went in search of a desk and spent the afternoon scouring the papers. By two o'clock Gienah had found an article reporting the strange death of a woman called Anya Politskovskaya locked in her basement. The police had been tempted to report the death as a murder but there was no sign of any kind of weapon or poison or even motive. They found her daughter alongside with her with marks around her neck. It suggested an attempted strangling attempt. The rotting corpse seemed to have been the only source of food for the toddler. Reading this Gienah was thankful for the small bowl of porridge she had eaten hours ago as she was sure she would have thrown up otherwise.

Deyanira had said her mother died from childbirth at the orphanage and Gienah knew she'd believed she told the truth. Gienah made a copy of the newspaper article and placed it in her bag alongside Deyanira's records from the orphanage. She read the yearly reports on Deyanira from the age of two to fourteen. The file was spotted with incident cards. Bursts of accidental magic. Stealing. Described as an isolated child. Distanced from her peers - until the age of twelve. The reports change. Shy, rather than solitary. Kind, not indifferent. Another marked shift in her personality upon admission to boarding school. Happier, less distant and more confident.

Who was Politskovskaya? What happened at the age of twelve? And why was she not admitted to Hogwarts when it was clear she had demonstrated magic in her childhood? But lastly, and most horrifically, could it be that her mother attempted her murder and her daughter had killed her in retribution?

Gienah wrote to the police department under Deyanira's name that evening and requested a meeting with the detective that had handled her case. Gienah missed dinner again that evening for the library reading for her assignment set by Snape on the subject of wards and concealment. She left the library at three in the morning.

Harry had his own news and as he filled them in and as they walked across the vegetable patch toward the greenhouses Gienah felt guilty for keeping her own a secret. The weekend's brutal wind had died out at last; the weird mist had returned and it took them a little longer than usual to find the correct greenhouse.

"Wow, scary thought, the boy You-Know-Who," said Ron quietly, as they took their places around one of the gnarled Snargaluff stumps that formed this terms project, and began pulling on their protective gloves. "But I still don't get why Dumbledore's showing you all this. I mean, it's really interesting and everything, but what's the point?"

"Dunno," said Harry, inserting a gum shield. "But he says it's all important and it'll help me survive."

"I think it's fascinating," said Hermione earnestly. "It makes absolute sense to know as much about Voldemort as possible. How else will you find out his weaknesses?"

"So how was Slughorn's latest party?" Harry asked her thickly through the gum shield.

"Oh, it was quite fun, really," said Hermione, now putting on protective goggles. "I mean, he drones on about famous exploits a bit, and he absolutely fawns on McLaggen because he's so well connected, but he gave us some really nice food and he introduced us to Gwenog Jones."

"Gwenog Jones?" said Ron, his eyes widening under his own goggles. "The Gwenog Jones? Captain of the Holyhead Harpies?"

"That's right," said Hermione. "Personally, I thought she was a bit full of herself, but —"

"Quite enough chat over here!" said Professor Sprout briskly, bustling over and looking stern. "You're lagging behind, everybody else has started, and Neville's already got his first pod!"

"Okay, Professor, we're starting now!" said Ron, adding quietly, when she had turned away again, "should've used Muffliato, Harry."

"No, we shouldn't!" said Hermione at once. "Well, come on ... we'd better get going. ..."

She gave them an apprehensive look; they all took deep breaths and then dived at the gnarled stump between them.

It sprang to life at once; long, prickly, bramble like vines flew out of the top and whipped through the air. One tangled itself in Hermione's hair, and Ron beat it back with a pair of secateurs; Gienah succeeded in trapping a couple of vines and knotting them together; a hole opened in the middle of all the tentacle like branches; Hermione plunged her arm bravely into this hole, which closed like a trap around her elbow; Harry and Ron tugged and wrenched at the vines, forcing the hole to open again, and Hermione snatched her arm free, clutching in her fingers a pod just like Neville's. At once, the prickly vines shot back inside, and the gnarled stump sat there looking like an innocently dead lump of wood.

"Pass me a bowl," said Hermione, holding the pulsating pod at arm's length; Gienah handed one over and she dropped the pod into it with a look of disgust on her face.

"Don't be squeamish, squeeze it out, they're best when they're fresh!" called Professor Sprout.

"Anyway," said Hermione, continuing their interrupted conversation as though a lump of wood had not just attacked them, "Slughorn's going to have a Christmas party, Harry, and there's no way you'll be able to wriggle out of this one because he actually asked me to check your free evenings, so he could be sure to have it on a night you can come."

Harry groaned. Meanwhile, Ron, who was attempting to burst the pod in the bowl by putting both hands on it, standing up, and squashing it as hard as he could, said angrily, "And this is another party just for Slughorn's favorites, is it?"

"Just for the Slug Club, yes," said Hermione.

The pod flew out from under Ron's fingers and hit the green house glass, rebounding onto the back of Professor Sprout's head and knocking off her old, patched hat. Gienah went to retrieve the pod; when she got back Harry had skulked off, Hermione was saying, "Look, I didn't make up the name 'Slug Club' —"

"'Slug Club,'"repeated Ron with a sneer worthy of Malfoy. "It's pathetic. Well, I hope you enjoy your party. Why don't you try hooking up with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug —"

"We're allowed to bring guests," said Hermione, who for some reason had turned a bright, boiling scarlet, "and I was going to ask you to come, but if you think it's that stupid then I won't bother!"

Gienah suddenly wished the pod had flown a little farther, so that she need not have been sitting here with the pair of them. Unnoticed by either, she seized the bowl that contained the pod and began to try and open it by the noisiest and most energetic means she could think of; unfortunately, she could still hear every word of their conversation.

"You were going to ask me?" asked Ron, in a completely different voice.

"Yes," said Hermione angrily. "But obviously if you'd rather I hooked up with McLaggen ..."

There was a pause while Gienah continued to pound the resilient pod with a trowel.

"No, I wouldn't," said Ron, in a very quiet voice.

Gienah missed the pod, hit the bowl, and shattered it.

"Reparo," she said hastily, poking the pieces with her wand, and the bowl sprang back together again. The crash, however, appeared to have awoken Ron and Hermione to her presence. Hermione looked flustered and immediately started fussing about for her copy of "Flesh-Eating Trees of the World" to find out the correct way to juice Snargaluff pods; Ron, on the other hand, looked sheepish but also rather pleased with himself.

Gienah woke up on the morning of the quidditch match with a nasty bout of morning sickness. Zabini held her hair back as she was violently sick in the toilet basin.

"Mistress is not been eating her potion" Missy said sternly holding out a spoon of the vile pink potion. Gienah reluctantly opened her mouth and swallowed.

Ambrosia was already dressed. She looked like a round yarn ball she was wrapped in so many layers. Her little face poked out beneath her hat and she could barely put her hands together. She was attempting to roll around on the bed.

Gienah downed her coffee, grabbed Ambrosia and she ran out to the quidditch match followed by Zabini walking at a more dignified pace. She sat down just as the whistle sounded and the team kicked off hard from the frozen ground, and they were away.

"There you are! Hullo." Hermione said to Zabini politely. "Oh look at Rosie!"

Hermione took her in her arms and tickled her nose before turning to Gienah.

"You would not believe what Harry did this morning." Hermione whispered.

"What?" Gienah said, her eyes on the pitch, naturally scanning for the snitch.

"Oh, and here comes Slytherin's first attempt on goal, it's Urquhart streaking down the pitch and —".

"— Weasley saves it, well, he's bound to get lucky sometimes, I suppose. . . ."

Gienah cheered loudly.

"He slipped Felix Felicis in Ron's pumpkin juice!" Hermione screamed in her ear so as to be heard over the cheers.

"Harry wouldn't do that." Gienah laughed.

"I saw him." Hermione said, pursing her lips.

"Quidditch is... Harry's religion" Gienah struggled to find the words to explain. "He'd consider it sacrilegious."

With half an hour of the game gone, Gryffindor were leading sixty points to zero, Ron having made some truly spectacular saves, some by the very tips of his gloves, and Ginny having scored four of Gryffindor's six goals. This effectively stopped Zacharias wondering loudly whether the two Weasleys were only there because Harry liked them, and he started on Peakes and Coote instead.

"Of course, Coote isn't really the usual build for a Beater," said Zacharias loftily, "they've generally got a bit more muscle —"

It seemed as though Gryffindor could do no wrong. Again and again they scored, and again and again, at the other end of the pitch, Ron saved goals with apparent ease. He was actually smiling now, and when the crowd greeted a particularly good save with a rousing chorus of the old favorite "Weasley Is Our King," he pretended to conduct them from on high.

"I feel like a traitor." Zabini frowned, his arms folded as the Gryffindor's around him sang along.

"You can take her to the Slytherin stands next time." Gienah promised him. Zabini looked at her a for a few seconds before kissing her sweetly on the mouth.

"And I think Harper of Slytherin's seen the Snitch!" said Zacharias Smith through his megaphone. "Yes, he's certainly seen something Potter hasn't!"

Gienah turned as she heard the crowds cheering, but Zabini cupped her face and kissed her even more deeply.

"And Gryffindor win." Smith said blandly as the crowds erupted into cheers.

Gienah pulled away, bit her lip and smirked.

The Gryffindors were walking down into the stadium, surrounding the players.

Gienah stood up and cheered with Ambrosia on her hip. She looked around with wide eyes at the and screamed alongside her mother. Hermione however had a different idea.

"I'll see you at dinner." Gienah said apologetically and ran after Hermione.

Gienah followed her to the changing rooms where she confronted Harry.

"I want a word with you, Harry." She took a deep breath. "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, it's illegal."

"What are you going to do, turn us in?" demanded Ron.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Harry, turning away to hang up his robes so that neither of them would see him grinning.

"You know perfectly well what we're talking about!" said Hermione shrilly. "You spiked Rons juice with lucky potion at breakfast! Felix Felicis!"

"No, I didn't," said Harry, turning back to face them both.

Gienah raised her eyebrow.

"Yes you did, Harry, and that's why everything went right, there were Slytherin players missing and Ron saved everything!"

"I didn't put it in!" said Harry, grinning broadly. He slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and drew out the tiny bottle that Hermione had seen in his hand that morning. It was full of golden potion and the cork was still tightly sealed with wax. "I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking." He looked at Ron. "You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself."

He pocketed the potion again.

"There really wasn't anything in my pumpkin juice?" Ron said, astounded. "But the weather's good. . . and Vaisey couldn't play. ... I honestly haven't been given lucky potion?"

Harry shook his head. Ron gaped at him for a moment, then rounded on Hermione, imitating her voice. "You added Felix Felicis to Ron's juice this morning, that's why he saved everything! See! I can save goals without help, Hermione!"

"I never said you couldn't — Ron, you thought you'd been given it too!"

But Ron had already strode past her out of the door with his broomstick over his shoulder.

"Er," said Harry into the sudden silence; he had not expected his plan to backfire like this, "shall. . . shall we go up to the party, then?"

"You go!" said Hermione, blinking back tears. "I'm sick of Ron at the moment, I don't know what I'm supposed to have done. . . ."

Gienah ran after her, Ambrosia bouncing on her hip. Hermione darted into a classroom near the tower. Gienah sighed.

"I don't think the two of them will ever realize Rose." Gienah said to the smiling baby.

"Hermy!" Ambrosia shouted pointing at the door.

"That's right baby." Gienah smiled. "Hermy sad."

Gienah frowned as she said sad.

"Can you say sad?" Gienah said.

"Sad?" said a voice behind her. "Who's sad Rosie?"

Ginny walked up to Ambrosia with a grin on her face, Dean Thomas trailing behind her with her broomstick.

"Ginny!" Ambrosia struggled in Hermione's arms, reaching out for Ginny.

"Hello baby" Ginny said, taking her in her arms. "Want to party baby? Party,"

"Patty" Ambrosia said.

"Close enough." Ginny laughed. "I'm kidnapping your baby Black."

Gienah watched Ambrosia enter the portrait hole screaming patty before she entered the classroom. Hermione gave her a small smile.

"Rose is coming along." Hermione said.

"I don't know if she understands anything she says." Gienah said. "But lets not change the subject."

Gienah pulled herself onto the table opposite her.

"How am I in the wrong here?" Hermione sniffed. "Harry did it on purpose to fool us both!"

"I know Mione." Gienah sighed. "When a man's ego comes at risk, reason often flies out the window."

"I've only kissed one boy before." Hermione said, breaking the comfortable silence. "I've never been on a date, unless you count the one dance and walks around the grounds. When I kissed Victor, I was thinking of Ron. When Neville asked me to the ball, I wished it was Ron who'd asked because he wanted to and not because I was the last resort."

"Maybe.. maybe you need to take a leaf out of Ginny's book." Gienah said gently.

"You mean - move on?" Hermione said with a frown.

"Just get yourself out there." Gienah shrugged. "It doesn't have to be serious. Maybe it'll make Ron realize what he's had under his nose the whole time."

Hermione didn't say anything.

"Shall we go patty?" Gienah smiled, holding out her hand.

Hermione gave her a small smile, and shook her head.

"I'll join you later. I think I need some time alone."

Gienah nodded and left the classroom.

Snow was swirling against the icy windows once more; Christmas was approaching fast. Hagrid had already singlehandedly delivered the usual twelve Christmas trees to the Great Hall; garlands of holly and tinsel had been twisted around the banisters of the stairs; everlasting candles glowed from inside the helmets of suits of armor and great bunches of mistletoe had been hung at intervals along the corridors. Zabini used this as an excuse to kiss her in between lessons, a rule she'd imposed in the beginning of the year.

Ron had began dating Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted. It was a travesty. Ron and Hermione seemed unlikely ever to speak to each other again.

"She can't complain," he told Gienah. "She snogged Krum. So she's found out someone wants to snog me too. Well, it's a free country. I haven't done anything wrong."

Gienah did not answer. Determined as she was to remain friends with both Ron and Hermione, she was spending a lot of time with her mouth shut tight.

"I never promised Hermione anything" Ron mumbled. "I mean, all right, I was going to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with her, but she never said... just as friends... I'm a free agent..."

Hermione's schedule was so full that Gienah could only talk to her properly in the evenings in the library, their conversations held in whispers.

"He's at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes," said Hermione, while the librarian , Madam Pince, prowled the shelves behind them. "I really couldn't care less."

She raised her quill and dotted an 'i' so ferociously that she punctured a hole in her parchment.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _I don't know if you saw.. Estella Cotton, a friend of mine at the training programme was murdered in Diagon Alley last night. She was a half-blood. The aurors are at a loss to why she'd been targeted. I went to her funeral yesterday and suddenly all of it felt - real. This war really is here. Please be careful Gienah. I know Professor Snape is training you to fight alongside Harry but please do not put yourself in any unnecessary danger. Take every precautionary measure._

 _Yours,_

 _Alyssandra_

Hermione and Gienah got ready together for Slughorn's Christmas party that evening. Hermione had remained tight lipped about who she had asked for her date.

"Is it...Seamus?" Gienah said as she pinned Hermione's hair back.

"No!" Hermione said, her cheeks flushed.

"Is it.. ooh! I know. Marcus!" Gienah said triumphantly. "I knew your prefect rounds lasted suspiciously later than usual last week. Were you snogging?"

"Oh for goodness sake." Hermione groaned. "It's McLaggen."

Gienah dropped her comb.

"Hermioneee" Gienah whined. "Whyy? You could have asked anyone!"

"I thought he'd annoy Ron the most." Hermione said in a small voice.

"Him and everyone else." Gienah grumbled. "There - you're done."

Hermione and Gienah stood by the entrance surveying the room, Gienah wore velvet robes of royal blue over her pale gold gown. Hermione wore a black floor length gown made entirely of silk she had borrowed from Gienah.

Whether it had been built that way, or because he had used magical trickery to make it so, Slughorn's office was much larger than the usual teacher's study. The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, so that it looked as though they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light. Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner; a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were navigating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked like little roving tables.

Gienah and Hermione looked at eachother with a smile and excused the guests to the drinks table and after a glass of wine were sitting together as thick as thieves in the corner of the room laughing as they watched Slughorn introduce Snape to a pretty witch, and then leaving the pair after a few suggestive remarks.

"Slughorn playing cupid!" Gienah roared out laughing. "Hermione.. Hermione.. I've seen it all now. I can die happy."

"Oh look!" Hermione gasped. "I think she likes him."

Gienah looked and saw the witch was touching his arm and laughing at something Snape had just muttered.

"Ooh at last." Gienah chuckled. "Maybe he'll get lucky and he'll stop being such a grouch."

Zabini was weaving through the crowd wearing smart dress robes. Gienah felt her heart flutter. His hair slicked back and he only had eyes for her.

"You look beautiful" Zabini said as he reached them. "Hermione, I see you've managed to tame that beast of yours."

Hermione whacked him on the arm.

"There you are!" McLaggen said from behind Zabini.

Hermione went pale and breathing deeply she stood to face her date. McLaggen took her hand in his rather large ones and kissed her.

Zabini raised an eyebrow.

"McLaggen" Zabini said, when Gienah stepped on his foot.

"Zabini" McLaggen smiled, placing his arm around Hermione's waist.

"I hear your uncle is being promoted." Zabini said smoothly. "Goblin Affairs?"

"Yes" McLaggen said rather pompously. "He had been offered the job a few times but there really was no one else with the experience. My father tells me Kripke refused-"

And Hermione sighed in relief as Zabini led McLaggen off to get a drink near Slughorn.

"Your fiance has some use at least." Hermione said, adjusting her hair. "Beast.. honestly."

"Excuse his sense of humour." Gienah said, taking a hors-d'oeuvre from an elf. "Be thankful you don't have to put up with it - And he's not my fiance."

"Oh I don't know." Hermione smiled. "You two compliment each other rather well. There's a power dynamic, whereas Cedric- Oh Gienah I'm sorry."

Gienah's gaze had turned cool.

"Oh do finish your sentence." Gienah said sweetly.

"I- Don't be upset but he was completely in love with you." Hermione said.

Gienah laughed bitterly.

"And - well I don't think you loved him the same." Hermione finally said.

"Thank you for expressing your opinion so fully." Gienah said.

"Gen.. don't be upset." Hermione said anxiously. "I'm sure given time you'd have loved him back."

"I loved him!" Gienah said, angry tears in her eyes.

"You loved the father of your child." Hermione said gently.

"It's the same thing." Gienah said. "Do not tell me how I feel Hermione!"

"Ladies." Zabini had returned with three drinks in his hands, and thankfully without McLaggen.

"Thank you." Hermione said, looking nervously at Gienah.

"Gienah!" Luna waved as she made her way through two rather tall gentlemen.

Luna was wearing a frilly green dress that resembled a Christmas tree. Harry was walking behind her looking around with polite interest.

"Hello," said Luna politely to Professor Trelawney.

They turned to see Trelawney drinking glumly from her glass of punch.

"Good evening, my dear," said Professor Trelawney, focusing upon Luna with some difficulty. Gienah could smell cooking sherry again. "I haven't seen you in my classes lately. .."

"No, I've got Firenze this year," said Luna.

"Oh, of course," said Professor Trelawney with an angry, drunken titter. "Or Dobbin, as I prefer to think of him. You would have thought, would you not, that now I am returned to the school Professor Dumbledore might have got rid of the horse? But no ... we share classes. . . . It's an insult, frankly, an insult. Do you know. . ."

Zabini was circling her back with the pad of his thumb and Gienah felt herself melt in his embrace. Was it true? Had she not loved Cedric at all? Had she ever loved at all?

"Harry Potter!" said Professor Trelawney in deep, vibrant tones, noticing him for the first time.

"Oh, hello," said Harry unenthusiastically.

"My dear boy!" she said in a very carrying whisper. "The rumors! The stories! 'The Chosen One'! Of course, I have known for a very long time. . . . The omens were never good, Harry. . . But why have you not returned to Divination? For you, of all people, the subject is of the utmost importance!"

"Ah, Sybill, we all think our subject's most important!" said a loud voice, and Slughorn appeared at Professor Trelawney's other side, his face very red, his velvet hat a little askew, a glass of mead in one hand and an enormous mince pie in the other.

"But I don't think I've ever known such a natural at Potions!" said Slughorn, regarding Harry with a fond, if bloodshot, eye.

And to Gienah's amusement, Slughorn threw out an arm and seemed to scoop Snape out of thin air toward them. "Stop skulking and come and join us, Severus!" hiccuped Slughorn happily. "I was just talking about Harry's exceptional potion-making! Some credit must go to you, of course, you taught him for five years!"

Trapped, with Slughorn's arm around his shoulders, Snape looked down his hooked nose at Harry, his black eyes narrowed.

"You should have seen what he gave me, first lesson, Draught of Living Death — never had a student produce finer on a first attempt, I don't think even you, Severus —"

"Really?" said Snape quietly.

"Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?" asked Slughorn .

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration , Herbology..."

"All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror ," said Snape with the faintest sneer.

"Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to do," said Harry defiantly.

"And a great one you'll make too!" boomed Slughorn.

"I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry," said Luna unexpectedly. Everybody looked at her. "The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy, I thought everyone knew that. They're planning to bring down the Ministry of Magic from within using a combination of Dark Magic and gum disease."

Gienah burst out giggling, all thoughts of Cedric driving out of her head - before she saw Draco Malfoy was being dragged by the ear towards them by Argus Filch. Gienah stopped laughing at once. His eyes met hers and stared at her. There was no scowl, not a hint of a smirk, no glower or glare reminding her that something had changed between the two.

"Professor Slughorn," wheezed Filch, his jowls aquiver and the maniacal light of mischief-detection in his bulging eyes, "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?"

Malfoy pulled himself free of Filchs grip, looking furious. "All right, I wasn't invited!" he said angrily. "I was trying to gatecrash, happy?"

"No, I'm not!" said Filch, a statement at complete odds with the glee on his face. "You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the headmaster say that nighttime prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"

"That's all right, Argus, that's all right," said Slughorn, waving his hand. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party . Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; you may stay, Draco.

Filch had turned and shuffled away, muttering under his breath; Malfoy had composed his face into a smile and was thanking Slughorn for his generosity, and Snape's face was smoothly inscrutable again.

"It's nothing, nothing," said Slughorn, waving away Malfoy's thanks. "I did know your grandfather, after all..."

"He always spoke very highly of you, sir," said Malfoy quickly. "Said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known. ..."

Gienah watched Harry as he scrutinized Malfoy. As Snape left to punish Malfoy as he saw fit Gienah watched Harry excuse himself and slink away after the professor and his charge. Gienah sighed and telling Zabini the same thing she left the unlikely pair looking at eachother. Zabini had always believed her to be an oddity and Luna believed Zabini to be an incubus though she did not think the devil deserved their reputation as - well- the devil.

"I have been meaning to ask you Blaise, is it customary for incubi to pray on one woman for so long?" Luna said, her head tilted to one side in a look of mild curiosity.

"I beg your pardon?" Blaise looked down at her looking perfectly bemused.

"Professor?" Gienah said at the beginning of their lesson on Saturday evening.

"Yes?" Snape said, looking at her with mild interest. Gienah was usually direct with her questions.

"Harry heard you and Draco talking last night." Gienah said quickly. "He was under the invisibility cloak."

"I see." Snape said.

"He suspects Draco sent the cursed necklace."

"And what do you suspect?"

"He is on a mission for the dark lord.." Gienah hesitated.

"And the mission?"

"To kill the headmaster".

"And what do you plan to do about it?"

"As you instruct me professor." Gienah said, finally meeting his gaze.

Gienah thought she saw a flicker of emotion in his face, but as usual it vanished as soon it appeared.

"I- I am touched."

Gienah looked at him in surprise.

"Professor, my allegiance is to you." Gienah said. "I am not a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Nor am I Dumbledore's protegee. I may love my fathers but it is your opinion I value above all others. Your respect I command the most."

For the first time she saw Snape's hard eyes soften, and a single tear shed.

"What do you wish me to do?" Gienah asked him.

"Leave Draco to me and do not hate the boy for his attempt. His hand has been forced. He is as much a victim of this war as any of us."

Gienah nodded.

Snape stood up, and his face returned to his mask of indifference as he waved his wand at the board.

"Warding magic." Snape began in his usual drawl. "A subtle art of many branches all rooted in corporeal magic. What do I mean by corporeal magic Ms. Black?"

Gienah had been waiting in the police station since nine o'clock to see the detective responsible for Anya Politskovskaya's case. It was now past eleven o'clock and she was taking her third dose of polyjuice potion.

"Excuse me sir" Gienah said for the fiftieth time. "May I ask if she is even in the building?"

"Yes ma'am." The large man looked cramped behind the desk. "She's been pulled into do some questionin' see. By the chief 'imself."

Gienah pursed her lips and tapped the desk impatiently with her fingers.

"Ms. Rookwood."

Gienah turned and saw a grey haired woman calling from the door.

"My apologies." Sergeant Grey said. "We had a lead brought in two hours ago. Awful timing, but come through. Lets see how we can help you."

Gienah was led into a small plain office with cramped filing cabinets placed against one side of the wall, covering half the window.

"Sit down love." Sergeant Grey smiled.

"I wish to know if my mother had any relatives." Gienah said. "And also to request further information on the circumstances surrounding her death."

"Yes, yes, I'll never forget the Politskovskaya case." Sergeant Grey sighed. "The neighbours said they'd been hearing crying from the basement and a smell of decay was coming through the back window. There was a small ventilation in the basement. The police arrived and took you into A&E at once. Your mother had died, but no cause of death could be identified. The basement had been locked but not impossible to break out of. She may have been too weak to attempt to push the door open or she may have died before she realized she'd been locked."

"Who was she?" Gienah asked.

"Anya Politskovskaya was a Russian immigrant we believed was impregnated by an englishman and left to fend for herself. Well, that's the official line."

"But you think different.." Gienah pushed her.

"Yes." Sergeant Grey said grimly. "The case was off from the start. The house was paid for and in a nice area mind you - the house itself wasn't very pretty but a property that would have sold for a pretty penny. I believe the property will be in your name in a few years time. But apart from the papers for the house there is no trace of a Anya Politskovskaya in any other records. Not even a library carder. She received no letters. She kept journals but they were blank. She kept enough clothes in her wardrobe for a week's holiday. Nothing fancy. One pair of shoes. Nappies for the baby. It didn't make any sense. I would have said she was in hiding from something but really that would be guesswork."

"Have you still got her journals?" Gienah asked barely containing her excitement.

"Yes." Sergeant Gray said. "I had a feeling you'd want a look. If you want the case to remain closed you can take the belongings and do what you may. If you'll like it reopened - they will have to remain in the building as you have a look with a police officer present."

"I…" Gienah hesitated. Surely case closed for the muggle police and Deyanira could always investigate with the aurors if she ever felt the need…

"Case closed."

The holiday began with a festive start. Sirius and Alyssandra took Lyra and Pandora to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park for Lyra's twelfth birthday. The entrance could be seen in the distance and the long queues edged forward slowly. Customers were becoming increasingly excited and impatient as they took a few steps forward every so often. Faint music could be heard from beyond the tall gates with the occasional happy scream suddenly piercing the air. Closer to the entrance and the massive structures of the rides could be seen: a rollercoaster, a big wheel, a helter skelter. Below, younger children stood watching, eating their sweets and snacks. Hot dogs and burgers were being devoured by the vendors, ketchup spilling from the buns, oozing into the fingers of little children; some munched on brightly coloured balls soft sugar strands that dissolved on the tongue - sweeter than sweet and sticking to the teeth better than glue.

"I haven't been to the funfair for years." Hermione said excitedly as she brought her ticket.

"Now remember children." Alyssandra said to Pandora and Lyra. "You must stay with either Sirius or myself the entire time. No running off and no magic. If you get lost come and stand by these gates and we will come and find you. Don't look for us. Understood"

"Yes Alyssandra" The two girls chanted.

"Ooh, Harry, this looks like so much fun." Ginny said as they entered through the gates, a bright ticket in her hand. "Thanks for inviting me."

"No problem." Harry blushed.

Zabini and Gienah looked at eachother.

"I suppose that's meant to be endearing." Zabini muttered under his breath to Gienah.

"Behave Blaise" Gienah pleaded.

"House of Horrors!" Ron said in awe. "Let's go."

"No children under twelve years of age." Hermione read.

But the children had already left to go on the ferris wheel with Sirius and Alyssandra. Sirius winked at Harry and waved when they called for him.

"Looks like its just us." Ginny said, joining the short que.

Zabini pulled Gienah to the back.

"Hello."

"Urm, hello." Gienah said, looking up at her gorgeous boyfriend. She did forget sometimes.

"I haven't seen you in two days." Zabini said, his arms around her waist.

"I'm aware." Gienah said.

"And I didn't get a kiss hello." Zabini said.

"Well, it's normally a kiss goodbye" Gienah said casually, though when she noticed his eyes dipping to her lips she licked hers subconsciously.

"Not in my book." Zabini smirked, leaning down to capture her mouth in a sweet kiss. He tasted like candyfloss.

Gienah heard a flash and turned her head to see Hermione grinning with a camera in her hand.

"Come on you two!" Hermione ran in after Ginny.

Gienah expected the House of Horrors to be a walk in the park. Gienah had to squint to see the house. The first room was an empty living room, with creaking windows and a blaring television. Gienah and Zabini were alone in the room walking past the piano when it started to play on its own accord. A gothic tune that wouldn't be missed in a vampire film. Gienah ran towards the door but it slammed shut. So had the windows. Zabini held onto her hand as the television signal cut off and the T.V. was displaying a crackling screen before the lights went completely off. Gienah screamed. And then the room reset, the news came on and the doors opened.

Zabini laughed.

"That was actually pretty good."

Gienah glared at him and hurried into the next room but came running back in.

"What now?" Zabini grinned. "Did a nasty gwost scware you?"

"Ginny and Harry!" Gienah whispered.

"Snogging?" Zabini asked, heading towards the door before she dragged him back.

"No" Gienah said excitedly. "They were holding hands."

"Whoopiedoo" Zabini rolled and his eyes and dragged her into the room.

After the House of Horrors, they wandered around the stalls, Gienah managed to win a snake for Ambrosia throwing darts at bobbing targets.

Zabini whistled as she watched her throw with practiced hands. Harry snorted not forgetting their duelling practice at the cottage over the summer.

"Impressed now?" Harry said. "You should see her with knives."

"I don't doubt it." Zabini said, shaking his head.

"Gienah" Hermione ran forward. "It's so awkward Gen! It feels like a triple date. You said it was a family outing!"

"If you really would rather spend time with Lyra and Pan then by all means run along." Gienah said waspishly. "But this is really becoming childish. You two are good friends."

"Childish?" Hermione repeated, her cheeks turning pink. "It's not me that's being childish!"

"Fine" Gienah said. "Then tell me what you're arguing about this time?"

"He- well- quidditch and-" Hermione looked incredibly flustered.

"Lavender." Gienah sighed. "You can say it. I know you're hurting Hermione but is refusing to talk to him going to help fix this?"

Hermione turned around and wiped her tears.

"Hermione.." Gienah said gently, pulling her into her arms.

"I know it's irrational but it's just really hard." Hermione sniffed.

"Let's get some ice-cream" Gienah suggested.

After buying everyone a ninety nine, the two of them went onto the bouncy castle with Lyra and Pandora. Alyssandra stood by and took pictures most of the time given her pregnant condition.

"You left with me with Potter and Weasley." Zabini glowered at her.

Gienah smiled, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Better?"

"I think you might have to try a little bit harder." Zabini said rolling his eyes. "If you think one kiss is enough to-"

Gienah tiptoed as her arms wrapped around his neck and kissed him deeply. The moment of surprise passed and he pressed her body closer to his. She let go and the kiss ended before it had really began. Zabini looked a little disorientated as Gienah grabbed his hand and pulled him to the ferris wheel where Lyra and Pandora had just climbed into one of the carriages.

The ride was not very fast though it sped up at random intervals. Zabini was less interested in sightseeing however. His hand played with the hairs that escaped her ponytail and his lips on her ear, whispering things that would make even Sirius blush - she hoped. The wheel stopped for a moment while they were right at the top when all hell broke loose and they had the perfect view.

Gienah first heard a scream, different from the screams of those on the rides or children throwing tantrums or the shrieking from young girls discussing their boyfriends latest antics. It was a scream that chilled your bones. That made your heart beat a thousand beats per minute. Gienah didn't think, she acted. She released the belt holding her in and jumped off the ferris wheel, sprouting wings before she was dragged up again and sprinted towards the opposite direction every other person were running from, her wand at the ready. Gienah could see three of them and groaned. She absolutely loathed dealing with dementors. She's take a jabberwock anyday.

"Expecto Patronum!" Gienah screamed.

Her eagle shot out of her wand a brilliant silver apparition which she directed right at the three cloaked figures. One of them held a woman in it's long fingered hands, it's gaping mouth over her lips. The elderly woman was paralyzed by fear, all the light had gone from her eyes.

"Accio." Gienah aimed at the woman and she came tearing away from the dementors grip and into her arms. Gienah gently placed her sitting up against a vendor and returned to her patronus. She was swooping around the three of them. Containing them. Awaiting her master to seal their fate. Gienah walked a few steps, she could feel the chill radiate from the despairing creatures. She felt pity on them, she really did.

The dementors were unable to flee. Instead they fixed their empty eyes towards her, unable to see they were sure to smell a threat and the master of the agony caused by the creature that flew around them. They could hear the beating of her wings and the song of her emotion.

"Vitae cacarem." Gienah said coolly.

Ropes emitting a blue silver glow appeared from her wand and bound each dementor. They made eerie howls as the rope made contact with their scabby, scaly skin.

"Gienah!"

It was Sirius. But she had wanted to meet a dementor ever since last term and they had to do their essays for Snape. They were the world's most rational parasites and therefore the most dangerous. They were also one of the most ancient creatures with life spans that spanned centuries. They did eventually fade away, becoming nothing but a spectre, a cold wind from the north that shatters the windows into bedrooms, feasting on unguarded minds, the seed for all our nightmares. In their corporeal form the dementor can be contained and starved until they consume themselves but it would take decades and dementors were not solitary creatures. They were loyal to their kin and they would hunt the wizard down and their fate would be sealed with the kiss of death. However, there was a way in which their strength could be drained and only one way in which they can be killed and Gienah was toying with the idea.

Gienah turned and saw Sirius running towards her in the abandoned funfair. Zabini was being constrained by Hermione and Harry by Ginny. Gienah clicked her tongue. Did they not think she was capable of dealing with three dementors?

Gienah waved her wand with an apologetic glance at her father. The three trees in her vicinity appeared to come to life. Their branches grew branches, the roots extended and reached the ground like vines they circled Gienah in a ten metre radius and after a few seconds she was contained in a untouchable fortress that could only be burnt to ashes.

"I will release you if you are willing to speak" Gienah said clearly, the ropes licking at their faces, pulling their hoods down and forcing them on their knees."

"Yes" One said in a haunting voice that did not appear to come from the dementor that had said it but from everywhere at once.

The ropes fell to the ground, the glow extinguished but her eagle remained perched on a branch surveying the scene before her, ready to swoop when called.

The three dementors rose and approached her until they were a metre away from her, their blind sunken eyes looking towards her except they couldn't see - they could feel.

"You are not human" A voice said. She couldn't detect who spoke.

"No." Gienah said.

"Her soul is unattainable" A different voice said with mild interest. "Esgal, can you feel it?"

"Yes", the first voice said warily.

"You wish to speak. Speak." A third voice said, much colder than the first two.

"Have you allied with Voldemort?" Gienah asked, her voice carried around the semi darkness of the enclosed prison.

"Ally is a strong word, creature of whom we cannot discern." Esgal said. "But we have cut ties with your government."

"You feed where they wish you to feed." Gienah sneered. "You are at their bidding."

"We are our own master" The third voice said in a deathly hiss.

"Yet you will allow a human to domesticate you?" Gienah asked, tilting her head. "A weak master in my book."

"We do not care of your opinion" The first voice said. "We are at your mercy, but what can you do? You cannot kill us. You cannot imprison us without your memory flickering in the end and your fate may as well be caressed by our lips."

"On the contrary I can kill you, but I will not." Gienah said, twirling her wand in her hand.

"Esgal, did you hear that?" The second voice said excitedly. "She speaks the truth!"

"She believes she speaks the truth Khazad-dûm", The third said with a trace of humour. "I like her, can we keep her?"

"I somehow doubt she is a creature to be domesticated Eliead." Esgal murmured.

"The creature is here" Gienah said with gritted teeth.

"Where are our manners?" Esgal said, in what she suspected was a sarcastic tone. "I am Esgal of Mandura."

"An elder?" Gienah said, forgetting to sound threatening.

"You know of our custom?" Khazad-dûm asked.

"I wonder what three elders are doing hunting in a fairground" Gienah said with a humourless laugh. "Oh have the mighty fallen."

"Our patience runs thin." Esgal said sharply. "We do not have to answer to you."

Gienah smirked.

"Our children have defied us for the dark lord" Khazad-dûm said bitterly. "We must hunt for ourselves like commoners and dregs of the underworld."

"And what does the Council have to say to that?" Gienah asked, her eyes glistening with curiosity.

"Enough." Esgal said. "We do not know what this creature is and of her intentions."

"She is hardly a threat" Khazad-dûm said. "Whatever she is, she is not yet of age."

"She is a mother." Eliead said hungrily.

"I wish to speak to your Council." Gienah said defiantly.

The comment was met with laughter, a shadowy sound that was a mutilation of laughter.

"You?" Eliead said. "Who are you to command the Council?"

"I do not wish to command" Gienah said impatiently. "I will not deny your right to feed on your prey, but to obey the orders of a man who will be responsible for a world much darker than our own is not only a future I will not allow, but one you do not desire also."

"Yes, yes" Khazad-dûm said sadly. "The creature voices our fears Esgal."

"How do you expect to survive a meeting with the Council?" Eliead said in a kind of awe.

Gienah had had enough with speaking. She closed her eyes and sought to be at one with the most foulest creatures on earth. Gienah did not open her eyes, she didn't have any. But she didn't need any. Her mind was filled with colours and her hearing perfect to the point of bothersome.

"Esgal!" Both Eliead and Khazad-dûm said with fear. Gienah was now able to pinpoint which stood where. Esgal, as she suspected, hovered between the two. Gienah could sense every feeling that passed their consciousness and every feeling of their past. She could also taste something else, so close, mouth watering, she hungered for it then Gienah felt something perch on her shoulder. The eagle.

"What sorcery is this?" Eliead hissed, retreating away from her.

"She could kill us all!" Khazad-dûm said.

Gienah could sense fear, awe, curiosity and the constant craving for despair in the backdrop of Khazad-dûm's consciousness.

"We will take you to the Council" Esgal said, its voice remaining calm. Esgal had a complete control over its emotions and even its thirst was quenched. "We will take your message."

"The patronus touches her Esgal!" Eliead hissed, gliding to him. "You bring her to Inferos and she will kill us all."

"The underworld?" Gienah interrupted.

There was a flash of fear running through Esgal. The first emotion she'd been able to detect.

"You don't mean to say there is an underworld?" Gienah almost laughed. "You'll be telling me Hades is a dementor in a second."

Not a single one refuted her claims.

"The creature will be the ruin of us." Khazad-dûm said frantically. "Kill her!"

Esgal raised his hand.

"She will speak to the Council."

"When?" Gienah said eagerly.

"When?" Eliead repeated after her.

"Take this." Esgal glided over to her and handed her a circular metal object.. a ring. "When you will be called they will take you, no matter where or when you are."

Why did that sound ominously like Israel himself would pay her a visit?

Suddenly Gienah sensed an onslaught of emotion. The fortress was surrounded by dementors. She could hear the branches being pulled, sense hands reaching through the holes.

"Our time has ended." Esgal said. "Release us, unless you wish to have a confrontation in your hands."

Gienah closed her eyes and when she opened them she felt weak and powerless her eagle was faint, leaning against her head in exhaustion. Gienah waved her wand with an effort before she hit the ground.

Gienah's eyes remained closed, she could hear the sounds of people walking from a distance. Heels walking away. Someone whispering beside her. Beeping and whirring. A sterile smell. Gienah groaned.

"Sirius!"

Her head was drumming.

"Gienah." A soft but desperate voice murmured in her ear.

Gienah opened her eyes with some effort and blinked at the streaming sunlight. Someone pulled down the blinds and she opened her eyes again and saw Zabini seated on a chair beside her. Harry came running through an open door followed by Sirius.

"You are so grounded" Sirius growled before he pulled her into a fierce hug.

"Ugh dad" Gienah wrinkled her nose. "Shower much?"

"Ha!" Sirius barked. "The scent of a father's love!"

Both Zabini and Harry grimaced.

"To be fair he has been with you day and night." Harry said, still looking a little green. "And Sirius, may you never grace me with the scent of a father's love."

"Scent of a father's what?" Alyssandra came waddling in, a hand behind her back.

"Dad needs a scourgify or something." Gienah chuckled.

"How is this the first conversation we have after your little stunt?" Sirius said glowering.

"What happened to me?" Gienah asked.

"We thought you'd been kissed." Zabini said, his face pale.

"You should have been." Sirius said. "I'm guessing your Nagual soul is inedible."

"Her what?" Zabini said.

"What happened?" Gienah asked again, ignoring him as did the three others in her room.

"So you jump off the ferris wheel" Zabini began hotly. "I thought you'd had a moment of lunacy and by the time I get down I find out you've gone to fight the dementors."

"There were death eaters there too Gienah." Harry said. "Right after the dementors. We were duelling them except they weren't death eaters. Some stupid wannabe teenagers but we found out later. There was one hanging about near you when you saw us except you didn't see him - her - the death eater. Their wand was out but before Sirius could curse the motherf- you brought down a bloody tree fort and the curse hit a branch."

"The curse?" Zabini said in a high pitched voice. "Don't pretty it up, the fucker sent an adava kedavra on her ass."

"I got distracted by the branches and by the time I realized it was you that pulled that shit, the death eater disapparated."

"But why would the death eater want to kill me?" Gienah asked. "It doesn't sound random.."

"We think you drew attention to yourself last summer when you duelled Voldemort." Harry said darkly.

"Escaping the dungeons after you burn Voldemort's face off, yeah, I'd say that would draw more than my attention." Sirius laughed darkly.

"Are the babies ok?" Gienah asked anxiously, putting her hand on her swollen stomach.

"It wasn't your body the dementors did damage to. It's your mind." Alyssandra said. "We haven't managed to get our head around what happened. My guess is that one attempted to kiss you and while your soul was untouchable it was able to affect you mentally."

"Why do you think I was kissed?"

"There was a dead dementor left right next to you." Harry said looking sick. "I reckon after that the rest of them fled."

"Gienah" Sirius asked. "How did you get that ring?"

Gienah looked down at her hands and saw a ring on her pinky finger on her left hand. Gienah tried to take it off but it was stuck, thought it wasn't that tight around her finger."

"We debated chopping your finger off." Harry said. "But it doesn't seem to be doing any visible harm. A curse breaker was called in. He told us- he said -"

"That it was the mark of an elder." Zabini finished for him. "That you would be able to access the realm of the dementors, except, there isn't such a thing - I mean - it's a metaphor."

Gienah looked down at the thin silver band. There was nothing remarkable about it but it seemed to radiate a kind of power. She could feel it pulsing.

"Gienah what happened in there?" Harry said nervously.

"I - I spoke to them." Three eyes widened.

"You better get some rest." Sirius said coldly and left the room.

Gienah watched him leave. The door slammed and she flinched.

"Give him time." Alyssandra said, kissing her forehead. "I'm glad you're awake."

"You are all there aren't you?" Harry said, putting his hand on her eye and pulling them wide.

Gienah scowled.

"My eyes not dead then doc?" Gienah grumbled. "If you're done seeing whether I'm human Harry.."

"Sorry" Harry smiled sheepishly.

Gienah looked at Zabini and sighed. She took the hand that rested on her bed in hers and kissed it. Zabini didn't appear to respond.

"You must be hungry." Zabini said plainly. "I'll see if the canteen has anything remotely edible."

Zabini left the ward.

"Why does everyone hate me?" Gienah said angrily. "I'm the one in the hospital bed!"

"Gen" Harry said seriously. "We didn't know what we'd wake up to. You might have been breathing but, you were kissed. No one survives that. Sirius has had to pay off a dozen people and get Dumbledore on the case to keep this quiet. If Kingsley hadn't been the auror summoned the whole incident would have been reported and an enquiry along with it."

"Yes well I still don't-"

"Gienah!"

Hermione came running through the door, followed by Ron, Ginny, Cedrella and Lyra.

Gienah returned home that evening as there was nothing actually wrong with her they weren't able to keep her. Though she noticed her healer became disheartened when he discharged her. He was a specialist in dark creatures and had done his dissertation on dementor attacks.

Gienah didn't tell anyone what had happened in the fortress between the three dementors. She wrote it down in great detail, almost scripting the entire exchange and on a card she wrote a single word - _inferos_. Sirius and Zabini continued to be distant with her and when she refused to tell them why she had sought a conversation with the dementors they both sulked. Sirius didn't speak to her. Zabini was insufferably polite.

Three days later Bellatrix was admitted to St Mungo's and it drove the drama from the fair from most peoples minds. The next morning Lupin had still not returned home and Bellatrix was seconds from giving birth. Gienah held her hand as she demanded she find her husband.

"Gienah Elladora Black!" Bellatrix hissed. Sirius gritted his teeth as her nails dug into the back of his hand. "Where is my husband!"

"He'll be here Bella." Gienah said soothingly, wiping her sweaty brow with a towel. "We sent an owl this morning, just focus on your breathing."

"Cedrella, you are almost there. One more push." The mediwitch said calmly.

Bellatrix bit her lip as she pushed one final time and her first twin was born.

"We have a boy." The mediwitch handed the baby to Andromeda.

"He's beautiful Bella" Andromeda sighed as the boy opened his small mouth and screamed.

Bellatrix continued to push and seconds later his twin emerged. Sirius went to hold her. Bella had tears falling from her eyes as she collapsed back on the bed. Gienah gave her a calming draught and her heart beat steadied.

"I.. want to see" Bellatrix murmured.

Sirius was grinning as he handed her her baby daughter, and Andromeda her baby boy.

"Leo and Elara" Bellatrix laughed weakly as she looked down at her two crying babies.

A few hours later Bellatrix returned to the cottage. They helped her up the stairs and placed the twins in her arms. Harry, Alyssandra, Lyra and Pandora came running in once she was settled. The twins took after Bella with her dark hair and dark eyes.

On Christmas Eve the sky was clear of clouds and the moon crowned the city of Vienna in its majesty. Gienah wore an emerald gown beneath her silver grey robes. Her ebony hair was pinned back with emeralds. Zabini wore matching dress robes of silver grey. His cloak billowed around him as he walked, light despite its heavily embroidered appearance. Gienah felt butterflies in her stomach as they descended the marble steps of the Schloss palace. They were in the House of Auersperg. The present home of Maria Zabini, wife to the Archduke Karl von Auersperg.

"Blaise Ernst Zabini and the Archduke's honoured guest Lady Black." The esquire announced before they entered the ballroom. Gienah kept her eyes forward as the crowd turned to see the honoured guest.

The ballroom was vast and glittering in all its finery. Framed with large windows and gilded balconies from where more lords and ladies, dukes and duchesses stood. Gienah walked to the Archduke and bowed.

"My lordship." Gienah murmured.

"Ah, Maria, she is as beautiful as you described." The duke smiled, taking her hand in his and brushing a kiss on her knuckles.

Maria smiled at Gienah and kissed her cheek and as she did so Gienah's nose filled with her perfume.

"Do not allow yourself to be intimidated." Maria whispered in her ear. "Most of them are stuffy politicians and the ladies terrible gossips. Harmless."

Maria has a slight Italian accent and the most beautiful woman she'd seen beside veela. Black hair and olive skin and violet coloured eyes. Slender and incredibly tall she resembled a black swan.

"Now, now Maria." The duke chuckled. "Allow her to make her own judgement."

"The Viscount and Lady Weber." The esquire announced and Blaise guided her to the back of the room.

"Merlin Zabini." Gienah whispered. "When you said we'd be spending Christmas with your mother I must have missed the memo when you really meant mother and the last of the Austrian nobility!"

"European nobility actually and I didn't want to scare you off." Blaise said, taking two glasses of wine from the passing elf.

"Well you failed." Gienah snapped. "I'm terrified."

"No you're not." Blaise sighed. "You're pissed off."

"Yes, I'm pissed off." Gienah folded her arms. "I feel like an imposter."

Blaise snorted.

"Your fathers Lord Black." Blaise pointed out. "My father was an oil tycoon."

Blaise handed her the glass and proceeded to downed his one.

"Once you get past the couriers and the fancy talk it really is just a party with exceedingly good wine."

"Lord Malfoy, Lord Malfoy and Lady Malfoy" The esquire announced.

Gienah stared as the Malfoys made their way to the duke.

"I did say European nobility." Blaise said with a nervous smile.

"I'm sorry" Gienah said testily. "I didn't realize being a death eater qualifies for lordship."

"You like Narcissa." Blaise said, taking her arm in his. "We should say hello."

As Narcissa and Malfoy spoke with the duke and Maria, Draco walked up to the nearest elf and took two glasses and downed one after another and proceeded to do the same with the next elf.

"Draco" Blaise said as they approached him. "Season greetings friend."

"Yes." Draco sneered, leering at Gienah. "For some it is a merry christmas indeed."

Malfoy took Gienah's hand in his pale slender hand and kissed her. Gienah felt a shiver as he did so.

"Will you save me a dance?" Draco asked her, his grey orbs boring unwaveringly into hers.

Gienah nodded weakly unable to find the words.

Draco was wearing black robes contrasting with his pale skin and a velvet green cloak. There was emotion in his stormy eyes she felt she was intruding by looking too long. Draco had become as handsome as his mother.

"How long are you in Vienna?" Blaise asked.

"Only the night." Draco drawled. "Pity. I've never seen the city."

"Nor I to be honest." Blaise said. "I find the company bland here. Fortunately mother does not holiday here often."

"Have you introduced Gienah as your intended?" Draco interrupted.

"No" Gienah said hastily and she thought she saw a flicker of hope in his eyes.

"I see Astoria hasn't accompanied you." Blaise said coolly. "Has the engagement been broken?"

"Yes." Draco said quietly. "Last summer."

"I - I'm sorry Draco." Blaise said, his tone a little gentler. "I didn't hear-"

"We haven't made the news public." Draco explained, his eyes darting for a second to Gienah. "I would appreciate it if you kept this to yourself."

"Of course." Gienah said.

"Now the unpleasant business is over-" Blaise smiled. "I'll introduce you to my step sisters."

Blaise walked with Gienah to a group of women laughing and talking rapidly in Italian.

"Amelia" Blaise interrupted with a bow. "May I introduce Lord Malfoy and the Lady Black."

Amelia curtsied prettily, she had a smiling face and her hair was pouffed so much Gienah wondered how she managed to keep it up.

"Enchante your lordship, my lady." Amelia smiled. "A pleasure to finally meet my brothers acquaintances! Dear Blaise is much too private, we know nothing of him, why! I am ashamed to say that he is practically a stranger."

"My lady you must consider yourself fortunate." Gienah laughed. "I am graced with his company and find him arrogant in the best of times and positively insufferable at the worst."

"Insufferable?" Blaise said, his mask of indifference now marred with a look of great offence.

Draco chuckled.

"Forgive me if I choose not to divulge the details of his behaviour." Gienah continued with a smirk.

"You have met your match brother." Amelia laughed. "And what say you my lord?"

"A fair assessment" Draco smirked.

"Now we are all finished with the assessment of my character" Blaise said through gritted teeth.

"Darling" Gienah pouted. "We've only just begun."

"Amelia my love" A tall woman with a rather manly face came and placed her hand on Amelia's arm. "I see there is fresh meat."

"Catherine" Amelia smiled and Gienah noticed it was a little forced. "My brother Blaise, Lord Malfoy and the Lady Black."

"Ah, the illegitimate heir" Catherine laughed.

"Catherine." Blaise took her hand. "I must introduce you the Barron. He's heard so much about you…" Blaise whisked her away.

"Goodness, the woman is a nightmare!" Amelia whispered. "Some aunt of a distant relation. Widowed. I'm convinced her lifes ambition is to insult every nobleman in Austria and slander every woman's good name."

"I've dealt with worse." Gienah assured her.

"It appears your evening has fallen in my hands" Amelia said, looking around the room. "Oh, the first dance is due to start. Let's see…Ah! Albert darling!"

Gienah found herself in the arms of a tall man with an impressive moustache and a think Russian accent.

"You are Eenglish no?" Albert said as he glided her through the room. "How do you feend Vienna?"

"I haven't seen very much outside of the palace I'm afraid." Gienah said. "How do you know Amelia?"

"Ve vent to school together" Albert smiled.

"Durmstrang?" Gienah asked wondering what other schools they had in Europe.

"Indeed." Albert said. "You must have attended Hogvarts?"

"I am still a student there." Gienah corrected him.

"Vell, my lady." Albert looked down at her curiously. "You ave decieved us all. You look a 'oman of great station. You carry yourself like - a queen."

Gienah blushed.

"I vud ask you for the next dance but I fear you are taken." Albert kissed her hand and returned to the crowd.

Draco appeared as he left, taking her hand in his before she could say another word.

"How?" he asked.

"How what?" Gienah said.

"How did you two.." Draco said.

"At the ministry." Gienah said. "He insisted on coming with me."

"How.. Gryffindor." Draco said coolly. "You aren't in love with him are you? His mother may be rich but Blaise is no more wealthy then I am."

"You have to be the most superficial twat I've ever had the misfortune to meet!" Gienah said. "I'm not with him because he's mothers infamously wealthy."

"Then why are you with him?" Draco growled. "I'm just as handsome. I may not be as exotic. My father's French, his is Ethiopian, fine but you've known me longer. My mother adores you. Our families are already well acquainted."

"You're drunk and raving mad" Gienah said coldly. "I don't know what you're talking about Draco. You had a perfectly suitable match. If you're looking for a replacement I could point you to the Parkinson's or the Carrows. I've heard Flora would make a fine bride."

Malfoy turned her before stepping backward as the next couples entered the waltz. When they rejoined she felt his hands gripping hers tightly.

"I'm not looking for a bride Gienah" Malfoy hissed.

"Then what are you looking for?" Gienah asked.

"I'm looking- I'm looking to claim your heart as my own." Draco said fiercely. "And I warn you. I am used to getting my way."

"What are you saying Draco?" Gienah whispered, looking at him fearfully.

"I'm saying I love you you insufferable wench. I am desperately and irrevocably in love with you." Draco said defiantly, his grey eyes fixed on her mouth.

The dance had ended.

"I believe this next dance is mine." Blaise said coolly, his voice breaking her out of her reverie. She blinked and realized at some point she'd leaned in and they had let go of each others hands. His at her waist and hers against his chest.

Draco walked away briskly without a single word, a second glance, he was leaving.

"I told you." Blaise said, looking at Gienah with a strange intensity.

"You did." Gienah agreed.

They didn't speak as they danced. Blaise continued to look at her. When the dance finished he took her hand and dragged her away from the ballroom and back into their chambers. He brought out a bottle of wine and drank it straight from the bottle. He pulled his robes off, left in his trousers and a loose undershirt.

"Blaise." Gienah said, a little scared by the way he was looking at her.

"You are mine." Blaise said weakly, he put the bottle back on the table and cupped her face. "Tell me Gienah. Who do you belong to?"

"You" Gienah whispered.

"And this" Blaise took her hand and clasped it in his before bringing it to his chest, to his heart. "My heart is yours. You have stolen it Gienah Black, like a thief in the night you have torn my heart from my chest and claimed it as your own."

Blaise knelt down. Gienah looked into his eyes glinting in the darkness. He was crying as he pressed his lips to her stomach. Gienah knelt down and took his face in her hands. His lips were quivering, his lashes damp, his hair dishevelled. Gienah kissed his tears. Kissed his jaw, his mouth. Gienah didn't know if she felt love but of want, desire and lust there was no doubt.

They left in the early hours of Christmas morning. Gienah didn't understand what happened last night, only that something inside of her was wakening and it terrified her. From the ministry they flooed to the cottage. Gienah left Blaise downstairs with her father whom she kissed briefly before running to her bedroom. Gienah felt so much love towards her daughter in that moment. Gienah took her in her arms, pressed her against her bosom and whispered "I love you."


	48. Love & Poison

Chapter Forty-Eight: **Love & Poison**

The sun was already sinking over grounds carpeted in deeper snow than had lain over the cottage garden and she was glad they were able to connect with the floo. In the distance, she could see Hagrid feeding Buckbeak in front of his cabin.

"Baubles," said Ron confidently, when they reached the Fat Lady, who was looking rather paler than usual and winced at his loud voice.

"No," she said.

"What d'you mean, 'no' ?

"There is a new password," she said. "And please don't shout."

"But we've been away, how're we supposed to — ?"

"Harry! Gienah!"

Hermione was hurrying toward them, very pink-faced and wearing a cloak, hat, and gloves. Gienah hugged Hermione tightly.

"When did you get back?" Gienah smiled.

"A couple of hours ago, I've just been down to visit Hagrid and Buck — I mean Witherwings," she said breathlessly. "Did you have a good Christmas?"

"Yeah," said Ron at once, "pretty eventful, Rufus Scrim —"

"I've got something for you, Harry," said Hermione, neither looking at Ron nor giving any sign that she had heard him. "Oh, hang on — password. Abstinence."

"Precisely," said the Fat Lady in a feeble voice, and swung forward to reveal the portrait hole.

"What's up with her?" asked Harry.

"Overindulged over Christmas, apparently," said Hermione, rolling her eyes as she led the way into the packed common room. "She and her friend Violet drank their way through all the wine in that picture of drunk monks down by the Charms corridor. Anyway..."

She rummaged in her pocket for a moment, then pulled out a scroll of parchment with Dumbledore's writing on it.

"Great," said Harry. "I've got loads to tell him — and you. Let's sit down —"

But at that moment there was a loud squeal of "Won-Won!" and Lavender Brown came hurtling out of nowhere and flung herself into Ron's arms. Several onlookers sniggered; Hermione gave a tinkling laugh and said, "There's a table over here."

"So how was your Christmas?" Gienah asked.

"Oh, fine," she shrugged. "Nothing special. How was Vienna?"

"Urm- I'll tell you later." Gienah said, looking away from Hermione's inquisitive gaze.

"Look, Hermione, can't you —" Harry began.

"No, I can't," she said flatly. "So don't even ask."

"I thought maybe, you know, over Christmas —"

"It was the Fat Lady who drank a vat of five-hundred-year-old wine, Harry, not me. So what was this important news you wanted to tell me?"

She looked too fierce to argue with at that moment, so Harry dropped the subject of Ron and recounted all that he had overheard between Malfoy and Snape. When he had finished, Hermione sat in thought for a moment and then said, "Don't you think — ?"

"— he was pretending to offer help so that he could trick Malfoy into telling him what he's doing?"

"Well, yes," said Hermione.

"Ron's dad and Sirius think so," Harry said grudgingly. "But this definitely proves Malfoy's planning something, you can't deny that."

"No, I can't," she answered slowly.

"And he's acting on Voldemort's orders, just like I said!"

"Harry, did either of them actually mention Voldemort's name?" Gienah asked patiently.

Harry frowned, trying to remember. "I'm not sure ... Snape definitely said 'your master,' and who else would that be?"

"I don't know," said Hermione, biting her lip. "Maybe his father?"

She stared across the room, apparently lost in thought, not even noticing Lavender tickling Ron.

"How's Remus?"

"He came back yesterday," Gienah frowned. "Greyback's active again"

"Greyback?" Harry said.

"The werewolf that bit dad." Gienah said. "A sadist. Likes to bite children so they don't want to integrate. Believes it's their right to feast on flesh - on days that aren't the full moon as well."

"Where have I heard that name..?" Harry said aloud.

"Borgin and Burkes Harry!" Hermione said excitedly. "Malfoy".

Harry gaped at her.

"I forgot! But this proves Malfoys a Death Eater, how else could he be in contact with Greyback and telling him what to do?"

"It is pretty suspicious," breathed Hermione. "Unless . . ."

"Oh, come on," said Harry in exasperation, "you can't get round this one!"

"Well . . . there is the possibility it was an empty threat."

"You're unbelievable, you are," said Harry, shaking his head.

"We'll see who's right. . . . You'll be eating your words, Hermione, just like the Ministry. Oh yeah, I had a row with Rufus Scrimgeour as well. . . ."

The new term started next morning with a pleasant surprise for the sixth years: a large sign had been pinned to the common room notice boards overnight.

 **APPARITION LESSONS**

 _If you are seventeen years of age, or will turn seventeen on or before the 31st August next, you are eligible for a twelve-week course of Apparition Lessons from a Ministry of Magic Apparition instructor. Please sign below if you would like to participate. Cost: 12 Galleons._

Gienah, Harry and Ron joined the crowd that was jostling around the notice and taking it in turns to write their names at the bottom. Ron was just taking out his quill to sign after Hermione when Lavender crept up behind him, slipped her hands over his eyes, and trilled, "Guess who, Won-Won?"

Gienah turned to see Hermione stalking off; she caught up with her, having no wish to stay behind with Ron and Lavender, but to her surprise, Ron caught up with them only a little way beyond the portrait hole, his ears bright red and his expression disgruntled. Without a word, Hermione sped up to walk with Neville.

"So — Apparition," said Ron, his tone making it perfectly plain that Gienah and Harry were not to mention what had just happened. "Should be a laugh, eh?"

"I dunno," said Harry. "Maybe it's better when you do it yourself, I didn't enjoy it much when Dumbledore took me along for the ride."

"I'd better pass my test first time," said Ron, looking anxious. "Fred and George did,"

"Charlie failed, though, didn't he?" "Yeah, but Charlie's bigger than me" — Ron held his arms out from his body as though he was a gorilla — "so Fred and George didn't go on about it much . . . not to his face anyway . . ."

"When can we take the actual test?"

"Soon as we're seventeen. That's only March for me!"

"Yeah, but you wouldn't be able to Apparate in here, not in the castle . . ."

"Dad began teaching me in the summer" Gienah said casually. "I've done it a few times."

"Blimey!" Ron stared at her. "You kept that quiet."

Ron was not the only one to be excited at the prospect of apparition. All that day there was much talk about the forthcoming , lessons; a great deal of store was set by being able to vanish and reappear at will.

The next day Harry confided in Gienah, Ron and Hermione the task that Dumbledore had set him, though separately, for Hermione still refused to remain in Ron's presence longer than it took to give him a contemptuous look. The three sat grim faced, in the corner of the courtyard during their break.

When Harry mentioned horcruxes, Gienah felt a strange feeling of daunting dread, fear realized and inexplicable joy. Her eyes widened, her hands became sweaty and she was sure she had paled.

'He must be determined to hide what really happened if Dumbledore couldn't get it out of him,' Hermione said in a low voice, as they stood in the deserted, snowy courtyard at break.

Gienah looked around before she cast a muffliato and whispered "I think I know what a horcrux is."

Hermione looked sick after she had described what she had read from the Key To Immortality.

"So." Harry said darkly. "Voldemort can't be killed until the object with a piece of his soul in it is destroyed?"

Gienah nodded.

"But it could be anything, a shoe, a newspaper, a necklace-" Harry said feverishly.

"I- I don't think so Harry." Gienah said, her mouth suddenly feeling dry as she voiced something she'd toyed with for months. Ever since her lesson on cursed objects with Snape. "Remember Tom Riddle's diary-"

"Of course" Hermione murmured. "It must have been a horcrux."

"But- but-" Harry gulped. "He's still alive."

"What if - there's more than one?" Gienah said quietly.

"Dumbledore's ring.." Harry whispered. "It was cursed. A Slytherin heirloom."

"Dumbledore must have guessed." Hermione said, her eyes wide with fear. "It's why he's been away so much, he must be looking for the rest of them but merlin knows how many there are!"

"It can't be too many." Gienah said, looking around again. "The splitting of a soul is highly destructive. In its nature the soul is pure, whole and complete. To split it, even once, is worse than self mutilation because even if you could make yourself whole again you leave a permanent scar. Your body may live on, but the most substantial part of you is damaged."

"So we're talking three?" Harry said, looking at the two of them. "Four, seven, ten?"

"It can't be more than ten" Gienah shook her head. "I can't believe a tenth of a soul can fully function on its own."

"But Voldemort isn't a fully functioning human being!" Hermione said in a panic.

"Harry.. you need to get that memory from Slughorn" Gienah said desperately. "If Voldemort finds out- we're finished."

Harry looked forward and Gienah thought she'd never seen him look so aged.

The snow melted around the school as February arrived, to be replaced by cold, dreary wetness. Purplish-grey clouds hung low over the castle and a constant fall of chilly rain made the lawns slippery and muddy. The upshot of this was that the sixth-years' first Apparition lesson, which was scheduled for a Saturday morning so that no normal lessons would be missed, took place in the Great Hall instead of in the grounds.

When Gienah, Harry and Hermione arrived in the Hall (Ron had come down with Lavender) they found that the tables had disappeared. Rain lashed against the high windows and the enchanted ceiling swirled darkly above them as they assembled in front of Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and Sprout - the Heads of House - and a small wizard whom Gienah took to be the Apparition Instructor from the Ministry. He was oddly colourless, with transparent eyelashes, wispy hair and an insubstantial air, as though a single gust of wind might blow him away.

'Good morning,' said the Ministry wizard, when all the students had arrived and the Heads of House had called for quiet. 'My name is Wilkie Twycross and I shall be your Ministry-Apparition Instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your Apparition test in this time -'

'Malfoy, be quiet and pay attention!' barked Professor McGonagall.

Everybody looked round. Malfoy had flushed a dull pink; he looked furious as he stepped away from Crabbe, with whom he appeared to have been having a whispered argument. Gienah looked away quickly not wishing to make eye contact. She'd been avoiding him since Christmas Eve.

'- by which time, many of you may be ready to take your test,' Twycross continued, as though there had been no interruption.

'As you may know, it is usually impossible to Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts. The Headmaster has lifted this enchantment, purely within the Great Hall, for one hour, so as to enable you to practise. May I emphasise that you will not be able to Apparate outside the walls of this Hall, and that you would be unwise to try.

'I would like each of you to place yourselves now so that you have a clear five feet of space in front of you.'

There was a great scrambling and jostling as people separated, banged into each other, and ordered others out of their space. The Heads of House moved among the students, marshalling them into position and breaking up arguments.

'Harry, where are you going?" demanded Hermione.

Gienah watched him moving quickly through the crowd, past the place where Professor Flitwick was making squeaky attempts to position a few Ravenclaws, all of whom wanted to be near the front, past Professor Sprout, who was chivvying the Hufflepuffs into line, until, by dodging around Ernie Macmillan, he managed to position himself right at the back of the crowd, directly behind Malfoy.

Gienah sighed. The hall erupted into whispers as everyone got into position. Gienah hoped there wouldn't be any trouble but before she had made her mind up the four Heads of House shouted, 'Quiet!' and silence fell again.

"Thank you,' said Twycross. "Now then ...'

He waved his wand. Old-fashioned wooden hoops instantly appeared on the floor in front of every student.

"The important things to remember when Apparating are the three Ds!' said Twycross. 'Destination, Determination, Deliberation!'

'Step one: fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination,' said Twycross. 'In this case, the interior of your hoop. Kindly concentrate upon that destination now.'

Everybody looked around furtively, to check that everyone else was staring into their hoop, then hastily did as they were told. Gienah gazed at the circular patch of dusty floor enclosed by her hoop.

"Step two,' said Twycross, 'focus your determination to occupy the visualised space! Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body!'

'Step three,' called Twycross, 'and only when I give the command ... turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation . On my command, now ... one- two-"

Gienah allowed her body to will nothing else but to move towards the hoop.

" - THREE!'

Gienah spun on the spot and felt a tingling channeling through her fingers opened her eyes and found that she'd managed to move one step.

'Never mind, never mind,' said Twycross dryly, who did not seem to have expected anything better. 'Adjust your hoops, please, and back to your original positions ...'

Hermione however stared at Gienah, two steps away from the place she had began.

The second attempt was no better than the first. The third Gienah didn't move at all. Not until the fourth did anything exciting happen. There was a horrible screech of pain and everybody looked around, terrified, to see Susan Bones of Hufflepuff wobbling in her hoop with her left leg still standing five feet away where she had started.

The Heads of House converged on her; there was a great bang and a puff of purple smoke, which cleared to reveal Susan sobbing, reunited with her leg but looking horrified.

'Splinching, or the separation of random body parts,' said Wilkie Twycross dispassionately, 'occurs when the mind is insufficiently determined. You must concentrate continually upon your destination, and move, without haste, but with deliberation ... thus.'

Twycross stepped forwards, turned gracefully on the spot with his arms outstretched and vanished in a swirl of robes, reappearing at the back of the Hall. 'Remember the three Ds,' he said, 'and try again ... one -two - three -'

But an hour later, Susan's Splinching was still the most interesting thing that had happened. Twycross did not seem discouraged. Fastening his cloak at his neck, he merely said, 'Until next Saturday, everybody, and do not forget: Destination. Determination. Deliberation.'

With that, he waved his wand, Vanishing the hoops, and walked out of the Hall accompanied by Professor McGonagall. Talk broke out at once as people began moving towards the Entrance Hall.

'How did you do?' asked Ron, hurrying towards Harry. 'I think I felt something the last time I tried - a kind of tingling in my feet.'

'I expect your trainers are too small, Won-Won,' said a voice behind them, and Hermione stalked past them pulling Gienah along with her, smirking.

Gienah ran down to the dungeons the first Saturday back and knocked impatiently on the door.

"Enter"

Gienah panted, her hand on the small of her back.

"You really shouldn't run in your condition" Snape reproached her.

"I don't see why I've had to wait till tonight to speak to you." Gienah muttered as she took her usual seat.

"Our relationship is suspicious enough" Snape replied simply.

"Well?" Gienah said impatiently.

"It requires a blood deposit." Snape said. "It may be that Deyanira will be able to read the journals."

Gienah groaned.

"Patience." Snape said, taking a seat. "I have been researching the name Anya Politskovskaya."

"And?" Gienah said excitedly.

"A student at Durmstrang, graduated in the year 1957. Outstanding student in all respects. Head Girl and president of the school newspaper. Went on to work for The Moscow Historian specializing in modern history. She appeared to have a fascination in the rise and fall of Grindelwald and planned to write a book before she disappeared in 1967. I requested the copy of the case." Snape threw a large folder in her direction. "When they searched her flat in Moscow they found a few clothes missing and at first believed she'd left for an impromptu holiday without telling her workplace but two months later she was reported as a missing person."

"If she was interested in Grindelwald it's likely she was interested in Voldemort" Gienah said looking at a photo of a black and white graduation picture of Politskovskaya. She had beautiful oriental light eyes, sloping cheekbones and a prominent unibrow. "She went missing just before he came out into the open.. It can't be a coincidence that she ends up in London in the year 1983 with a two year old infant and no identity to speak of."

"What I found odd.." Snape paused and pressed his fingertips together. "Politskovskaya lived independently in Moscow, but she was estranged from her parents and had a part-time job at a magazine that relied heavily on donations. How was she able to afford a living and the luxury of writing a biographical book while earning less than minimum wage?"

"She didn't work part-time in a shop or tutoring?" Gienah asked.

"But Politskovskaya lived an affluent lifestyle." Snape said, standing and walking towards her desk. Spreading the contents in front of her he picked up a few newspaper articles in Russian. There were pictures of her on the arm of an elderly gentleman in some kind of conference and another in the audience of an awards ceremony.

"You think she lived a double life?" Gienah asked.

"I think she was more than a historian." Snape said, picking up her photo and surveying it carefully. "I think she was an investigative journalist, paid by the pen name of Stepan Yegorovich."

Snape brought a thin grey plastic wallet from the back of the large folder. In it were several articles in Russian.

"These articles concern terrorist groups, drug lords, political scandals, the USSR.." Snape waved his hand. "Every powerful kind of institution Yegorovich attempted to uncover and make transparent to the public. Yegorovitch began his debut in Novaya Gazeta on January 1959 and continued writing for the Moskovskaya pravda, The International and finally the Daily Prophet until his last article on 1976. I've looked for a Yegorovitch in Durmstrang but the dates are not compatible. There is no pictures of the man and their writing styles are extremely similar. They both began in Russia and ended up in England in a similar time frame. I am convinced."

"What were his last articles on?" Gienah asked nervously, though she felt she already knew.

"The rise of the next dark lord." Snape said gravely.

Gienah laughed darkly.

"In summary a Russian historian fascinated by Grindelwald disappears from her flat in Moscow but continues writing investigative journalism under a male alias, starts looking to expose Voldemort and ends up dead in a basement in London most likely murdered by a two year old child." Gienah summarized. "I don't think I could have written up a more sinister biography."

"That is another mystery" Snape sighed. "Why had she tried to strangle her daughter in a locked basement? Reading the articles and the character statements she betrays no sign of being a sadist."

"I have a feeling the father might have everything to do with it." Gienah said. "Is there anyway we could track Deyanira's genealogy?"

"There is a potion that determines blood status." Snape said. "You can imagine it's popularity. It will give us an indication of who we can rule out."

"Her mother was a-" Gienah asked, flicking through the file.

"Pureblood." Snape replied. "If Deyanira isn't a pureblood we're looking at a halfblood, a muggleborn or a muggle. I hope she's pure for our sake."

Gienah sighed.

"And there's still the doppelganger to figure out. Something happened between the years when she was eleven and twelve. She wasn't registered for Hogwarts despite demonstrating accidental magic at the orphanage and having a witch as a mother. Is it me or is there something significant about the year 1992? Like someone didn't want her attending Hogwarts. The same way her own mother didn't want her to exist. What's the threat professor? Deyanira isn't anything remarkable. She's a good friend with an unfortunate life and a dark past as far as I'm concerned. But there are two of her and the other motherf- sliced off my foot. This girl is turning out to be a bigger enigma than Voldemort."

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _Alyssandra gave birth this morning to two healthy boys. It was the most tedious seven hours Gienah. They didn't want to come out. We had to give her that muggle pain relief stuff. It made her go all woozy and she was as high as a kite. It would have been hilarious if she wasn't trying to get two babies out of her. Prolonged the labour because she didn't really want to have them leave her sanctuary. Her words… Can't decide if I enjoyed the prolonged Lovegood experience or the shorter punish the father by mutilating his hand approach._

 _We've decided on Castor and Pollux. What do you think? I wasn't sure about Pollux, thought it sounded like.. well, another word. But Alyssandra's keen on tradition and thought it was better than Cygnus which we both agreed sounds like an old man's name._

 _I have six children. Gienah, I can't seem to get over the fact that a few years ago I believed my life was over. One estranged daughter, the one woman I loved dead and buried and a best friend who believed I'd betrayed him. Now, I'm married with six children and a godson. Who'd have thought I'd be the family man?_

 _Love,_

 _Your father_

February moved towards March with no change in the weather except that it became windy as well as wet. To general indignation, a sign went up on all common room notice boards that the next trip into Hogsmeade had been cancelled. Ron was furious.

'It was on my birthday!' he said, 'I was looking forward to that!'

'Not a big surprise, though, is it?' said Harry. 'Not after what happened to Katie.'

She had still not returned from St. Mungo's. What was more, further disappearances had been reported in the Daily Prophet, including several relatives of students at Hogwarts.

'But now all I've got to look forward to is stupid Apparition!' said Ron grumpily. 'Big birthday treat ...'

Three lessons on, Gienah had managed to apparate although she kept missing the hoop for some reason. For the rest of the class frustration was running high. Even Hermione was beginning to lose her patience.

On the first of March, Gienah slept in. Mike had to cancel the lesson that morning and Gienah felt indulgent as she yawned in her bed. She got up after an hours happy snoozing and wrapped Ron's gift. She had owl ordered Ron a magical razor for ALL purposes. Hermione, Ginny and GIenah had a giggle as they read the product description marketing exactly how many nozzles they provided and for what uses. Not wanting to skimp out on his seventeenth she had also brought him a set of black and bronze dress robes, patent leather shoes and a deluxe box of chocolate frogs. Gienah and Ambrosia spent an hour on the living room floor with Ambrosia's arts and crafts set making him a card. Gienah attempted to get Ambrosia to sign her card but it ended up as a squiggle. They set off for the Gryffindor common room with a pack of butterbeers when they saw Harry leading Ron in his vest and boxers down the stairs.

"Won!" Ambrosia pointed and laughed.

Gienah stared for a few seconds before running after them, holding her robes as she ran and Ambrosia babbled in her nonsense language.

"So, all in all, not one of Ron's better birthdays?" said Fred, cracking open a butterbeer.

It was evening; the hospital wing was quiet, the windows curtained, the lamps lit. Ron's was the only occupied bed. Gienah, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting around him.

"This isn't how we imagined handing over our present," said George grimly, putting down a large wrapped gift on Ron's bedside cabinet and sitting beside Ginny.

"Yeah, when we pictured the scene, he was conscious," said Fred.

"There we were in Hogsmeade, waiting to surprise him —" said George.

"You were in Hogsmeade?" asked Ginny, looking up.

"We were thinking of buying Zonko's," said Fred gloomily. "A Hogsmeade branch, you know, but a fat lot of good it'll do us if you lot aren't allowed out at weekends to buy our stuff anymore ... But never mind that now."

He drew up a chair beside Harry and looked at Ron's pale face.

"How exactly did it happen, Harry?"

". . . and then I got the bezoar down his throat and his breathing eased up a bit, Gienah ran for help, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey turned up, and they brought Ron up here. They reckon he'll be all right. Madam Pomfrey says he'll have to stay here a week or so ... keep taking essence of rue . . ."

"Blimey, it was lucky you thought of a bezoar," said George in a low voice.

"Lucky there was one in the room," said Harry.

Hermione gave an almost inaudible sniff. She had been exceptionally quiet all day. Having hurtled, white-faced, up to Gienah outside the hospital wing and demanded to know what had happened., she had taken almost no part in Harry and Ginny's obsessive discussion about how Ron had been poisoned, but merely stood beside them, clench-jawed and frightened-looking, until at last they had been allowed in to see him.

There was a pause while they all watched Ron mumble a little in his sleep.

"So the poison was in the drink?" said Fred quietly.

"Yes," said Harry at once. "Slughorn poured it out —"

As they began discussing the poisoning Gienah remained silent. She was sure it was another botched attempt on Dumbledore's life. It was such a poor attempt that Gienah couldn't believe his heart could really be in it. As if poison could kill Albus Dumbledore. But it had nearly killed Ron. Gienah was fuming and was clenching onto her chair to stop herself cursing Malfoy's bollocks off. Unfortunately she had promised Snape to stay out of it - but surely this was an exception. Malfoy had left her no choice. Poisoning her best friend meant she was in it, whether she liked it or not. Gienah was torn.

"Er-my-nee," croaked Ron unexpectedly from between them.

They all fell silent, watching him anxiously, but after muttering incomprehensibly for a moment he merely started snoring.

The dormitory doors flew open, making them all jump: Hagrid came striding toward them, his hair rain-flecked, his bearskin coat flapping behind him, a crossbow in his hand, leaving a trail of muddy footprints all over the floor.

"Bin in the forest all day!" he panted. "Aragog's worse, I bin readin' to him — didn' get up ter dinner till jus' now an' then Professor Sprout told me abou' Ron! How is he?"

"Not bad," said Harry. "They say he'll be okay."

"No more than six visitors at a time!" said Madam Pomfrey, hurrying out of her office.

"Hagrid makes six," George pointed out.

"Oh . . . yes. .." said Madam Pomfrey, who seemed to have been counting Hagrid as several people due to his vastness. To cover her confusion, she hurried off to clear up his muddy foot prints with her wand.

"I don' believe this," said Hagrid hoarsely, shaking his great shaggy head as he stared down at Ron. "Jus' don' believe it... Look at him lyin' there. . . . Who'd want ter hurt him, eh?"

"That's just what we were discussing," said Harry. "We don't know."

"I think there's a connection between the attacks," said Hermione quietly looking at Gienah. Gienah fidgeted in her chair, uncrossed her legs and crossed them again.

"How d'you work that out?" asked Fred.

"Well, for one thing, they both ought to have been fatal and weren't, although that was pure luck. And for another, neither the poison nor the necklace seems to have reached the person who was supposed to be killed. Of course," she added broodingly, "that makes the person behind this even more dangerous in a way, because they don't seem to care how many people they finish off before they actually reach their victim."

The news that Ron had been poisoned spread quickly next day, but it did not cause the sensation that Katie's attack had done. People seemed to think that it might have been an accident, given that he had been in the Potions master's room at the time, and that as he had been given an antidote immediately there was no real harm done. In fact, the Gryffindors were generally much more interested in the upcoming Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, for many of them wanted to see Zacharias Smith, who played Chaser on the Hufflepuff team, punished soundly for his commentary during the opening match against Slytherin.

"Professor." Gienah whispered.

Snape sighed and put down his piece of dry toast and coffee and walked into the small chamber behind the staff table after her.

"You said to leave him to you." Gienah began, breathing deeply in an attempt to keep her emotions under control. A feat I can tell you for a heavily pregnant woman. "One of my best friends almost died at another ill attempt."

"Excuse Draco" Snape muttered and Gienah noticed the potions master did not look as composed as he usually did. "He overestimated Slughorn's poison detection skills."

Gienah snorted inelegantly.

"I believe he has a bigger plan that is more well thought out." Snape said quietly. "When the time comes you must be ready to defend Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" Gienah said in alarm.

"It may be a minor attack, expected to succeed through the element of surprise but they will not be gentle with any innocent party that happens to be in their way. Word of Greyback has been rumoured."

Gienah gulped.

The Gryffindor team marched out onto the pitch to deafening cheers and boos. There was little wind; the clouds were patchy; every now and then there were dazzling flashes of bright sunlight. Hermione sat next to Gienah with Ambrosia in her arms. Gienah was feeling incredibly uncomfortable and crossed her legs despite having just gone to the bathroom.

"Gienah" Hermione said in a concerned voice.

"I'm fine." Gienah smiled. "Just- cramps"

"Have a hot bath after the match Gen." Hermione said, putting her hand on her knee. "No library."

"And that's Smith of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle," said a dreamy voice, echoing over the grounds. "He did the commentary last time, of course, and Ginny Weasley flew into him, I think probably on purpose, it looked like it. Smith was being quite rude about Gryffindor, I expect he regrets that now he's playing them — oh, look, he's lost the Quaffle, Ginny took it from him, I do like her, she's very nice. ..."

Gienah laughed as she watched Luna in the box out in force with her butterbeer cork necklace and roaring lion hat. Beside Luna, Professor McGonagall was looking slightly uncomfortable, as though she was indeed having second thoughts about this appointment.

". . . but now that big Hufflepuff player's got the Quaffle from , her, I can't remember his name, it's something like Bibble — no, Buggins —"

"It's Cadwallader!" said Professor McGonagall loudly from beside Luna. The crowd laughed.

Moments later, Cadwallader scored. McLaggen had been shouting criticism at Ginny for allowing the Quaffle out of her possession, with the result that he had not noticed the large red ball soaring past his right ear.

"And Harry Potter's now having an argument with his Keeper," said Luna serenely, while both Hufflepuffs and Slytherins below in the crowd cheered and jeered. "I don't think that'll help him find the Snitch, but maybe it's a clever ruse. ..."

Gryffindor weren't doing great. Gienah grimaced every time the quaffle ended up on the Gryffindor end. The commentary was the only enjoyable aspect of the game so far.

"Seventy-forty to Hufflepuff!" barked Professor McGonagall into Luna's megaphone.

"Is it, already?" said Luna vaguely. "Oh, look! The Gryffindor Keeper's got hold of one of the Beater's bats."

Sure enough, McLaggen, for reasons best known to himself, had pulled Peakes's bat from him and appeared to be demonstrating how to hit a Bludger toward an oncoming Cadwallader.

McLaggen took a ferocious swipe at the Bludger and mishit it towards Harry. Despite being heavily pregnant Gienah stood up and cursed so loudly and crudely at McLaggen Hermione covered Ambrosia's ears.

When Gienah cornered McLaggen in the common room an hour later the gryffindors watched with the same fascination you'd watch a car crash taking place right in front of you in slow motion. There was something strangely satisfying in seeing a heavily pregnant girl give a tongue lashing to a manchild that resembled a small troll.

Harry and Ron left the hospital wing first thing on Monday morning, restored to full health by the ministrations of Madam Pomfrey and now able to enjoy the benefits of having been knocked out and poisoned, the best of which was that Hermione was friends with Ron again. So for the first time in weeks Gienah was joined by Hermione, Ron and Harry for breakfast.

"Harry!"

"Oh, hi, Luna."

\- "I went to the hospital wing to find you," said Luna, rummaging in her bag. "But they said you'd left..."

She thrust what appeared to be a green onion, a large spotted toadstool, and a considerable amount of what looked like cat litter into Ron's hands, finally pulling out a rather grubby scroll of parchment that she handed to Harry.

". . . I've been told to give you this."

Gienah took one look at the cat litter and was violently sick in the fruit bowl. Ron dropped the sausage halfway through his mouth and wiped his face with a napkin in disgust.

Hermione vanished the sick, handed her a damp napkin and handed her a glass of water. After she finished her water Hermione stuffed a half a roll in her mouth and handed her a mint.

"Is the sickness potion not working?" Luna said sympathetically.

Gienah shook her head weakly when Zabini appeared by her side, kissed her on the forehead and sat beside her. This private moment was being watched by quite a few people in the vicinity.

"Gienah, you're eight months pregnant." Zabini pleaded quietly. "Take the week off. We'll have the professors owl you the readings."

"No." Gienah said defiantly. "I'm fine. honestly. Cramps, sickness.. It's just one long period."

Zabini looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed before he sighed and joined them at the table.

"Urm." Ron coughed. "You're eating here?"

"I'm not leaving her side." Zabini said, looking Ron in the eye as if daring him to have a problem.

Zabini took a plate and piled it with eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and baked beans, moved her bowl of porridge aside and put a fork and knife beside her plate.

"Eat."

Gienah leaned over for her porridge but he growled at her and vanished the contents. Starving she reluctantly began eating her fried breakfast.

A tawny owl swooped towards the table and dropped a copy of the daily prophet each to both witches. Gienah caught hers with a seeker's hand.

"Anyone we-" Harry and Ron began.

"Yes!" said Hermione, causing both Harry and Ron to gag on their breakfast. "But it's all right, he's not dead — it's Mundungus, he's been arrested and sent to Azkaban! Something to do with impersonating an Inferius during an attempted burglary, and someone called Octavius Pepper has vanished. Oh, and how horrible, a nine-year-old boy has been arrested for trying to kill his grandparents, they think he was under the Imperius Curse."

Gienah skimmed through the article. It reminded her too well of a girl that sat a few seats away from them. She frowned as she read the Mundungus article. Lupin wouldn't be too happy about his old friend in Azkaban. Maybe they could get Mr. Vandeviere on the case.

"Gienah.." Ron suddenly said. "You're having twins."

"Yes… I think I'm aware of the fact."

"How are you coming back after the holiday with three kids?"

"Well, I'm leaving Rose with dad and I have an elf." Gienah said. "It'll be difficult to be away from her for three months but she won't get any attention cooped up with two newborn babies."

"And next year we're going to move into Hogsmeade." Zabini said. "I've had a look at some of the properties."

"Blaise." Gienah breathed deeply. "That hasn't been decided."

"I'm sorry but what other options do we have?" Zabini said hotly. "There's no privacy here (he said this quite loudly and a few eavesdroppers turned away with flushed cheeks) even if the headmaster finds you larger quarters I don't want people to think we have preferential treatment."

"Moving in together with three children isn't a decision you make out of necessity Blaise!"

Blaise scoffed and looked at Harry for support.

"I ask her to marry me as soon as I knew she'll be pregnant." Zabini lowered his voice. "And she thinks we need to discuss our commitment in living together? Gentlemen, help a brother out."

Ron looked sympathetically at him.

"Proving my point exactly" Gienah snapped. "I say I'm pregnant. You ask me to marry you. You find out your best friend is in love with me. You _confess_ your love for me. I say there's no space. You say lets buy a house and move in together!"

Harry, Hermione and Ron whipped their heads at Gienah.

"But" Ron croaked at Blaise. "Your best friend.. isn't he.."

"Malfoy." Harry growled.

Blaise groaned.

"Is this true?" Hermione said quietly.

"A passing crush.." Gienah said in a small voice. "I'm sure."

Blaise snorted which was rather unlike him.

"You don't have veela blood in your family do you?" Ron said suspiciously.

Hermione, Harry and Gienah stared at him.

"How else does she manage to get three of the most fancied guys to fall in love with her?" Ron shrugged. "No offence Gienah, you're pretty- don't get me wrong-"

"I think you might want to stop talking." Blaise said lightly, cracking his knuckles in a leisurely manner.

Gienah was blushing.

"Oh it must be because I've been slipping them all love potions, seeing as I'm so clever" Gienah hissed. "Or more likely I'm a veela whore, I seduce them into my bed and I blackmail them with my devouring womb. What man isn't turned on with a woman lumbered with a child?"

Ron gulped as Gienah twirled her wand in her hand.

"Is it wrong this is turning me on?" Blaise muttered to Harry.

"I'm her brother" Harry groaned.

Blaise smirked, stood up and offered Gienah his hand. Gienah stood up with some difficulty ruining her dramatic exit though Ron looked shaken as it is. Blaise looked at the watch casually.

"You know.. we have about twenty minutes…"

"I'm the size of a beached whale you sex fiend."

"Merlin, stop with the dirty talking if you don't want me to fuck you over breakfast woman."

"Don't call me woman!" Gienah snapped. "I'm the mother of your children."

Zabini groaned and pinned her to the wall ignoring the embarrassed looks from two third years behind him.

"Blaise." Gienah breathed.

"I can either take us to an empty classroom and fuck you from behind or we can be prim and proper about it and go into the dungeons." Blaise said quietly in her ear.

Gienah blushed.

Zabini chuckled as he saw the colour spread to her neck.

"Lets go and fulfil a fantasy of yours." Zabini said huskily.

Blaise took her into an unused classroom in the dungeons, pressed her against the wall and unbuttoned her shirt in about three seconds. He kissed her breasts as she panted heavily by the door, removing her robes with some difficulty and then bent her over a table, pulled down her stockings and spanked her.

"Tell me Ms. Black" Zabini smirked. "How have you managed to win the hearts of three eligible bachelors?"

"I don't know." Gienah said breathlessly.

Zabini spanked her close between her legs. She let out an involuntary moan.

"Let's try again shall we?" Zabini said, feeling arousingly uncomfortable in his fitted trousers. "Why do men fall in love with you?"

"Because I'm the Lady Black?" Gienah said.

Zabini spanked her harder. Gienah could feel the pooling warmth between her legs. She was so ready for him.

"Because I slip them with love potion." Gienah muttered.

Zabini chuckled.

"Do you like to be humiliated.. my lady?" Zabini asked.

"No- Yes" Gienah whispered. "Only in the bedroom."

"You like to be.. dominated?" Zabini continued.

Gienah gritted her teeth, as if he didn't know.

"I think men fall in love with you because you're beautiful." Zabini said softly, pulling her up and murmuring into her ear. "You - you're a serpent - cunning and dangerous with a lion's heart - made of - made of gold in the body of an eagle - majestic and wise beyond her years."

Zabini turned her around and kissed her softly.

"What?" Gienah laughed weakly. "No claws like a badger?"

"I'm sorry", Zabini apologized, his dark eyes boring into hers hungrily. "I'll fuck you another time. Right now I'd rather make love to you."

That evening Gienah spent in the common room, having left Ambrosia with Zabini in her chambers. Gienah had finished her essays and her assigned readings, she was reading a book Hermione had given her for her baby shower. A witch's guide to child rearing.

"Thanks a million," said Ron. "Can I borrow your quill for the conclusion?"

The only sounds were the crackling of the fire and Ron scratching out one last paragraph on dementors using Hermione's quill. Harry had just closed the Half-Blood Prince's book, yawning, when —

Crack!

Gienah dropped her book; Hermione let out a little shriek; Ron spilled ink all over his freshly completed essay, and Harry said, "Kreacher!"

The house-elf bowed low and addressed his own gnarled toes. "Master said he wanted regular reports on what the Malfoy boy is doing, so Kreacher has come to give-"

Crack!

Dobby appeared alongside Kreacher, his tea-cozy hat askew. "Dobby has been helping too, Harry Potter!" he squeaked, casting Kreacher a resentful look. "And Kreacher ought to tell Dobby when he is coming to see Harry Potter so they can make their reports together!"

"What is this?" asked Hermione, still looking shocked by these sudden appearances. "What's going on, Harry?"

Harry hesitated before answering. Gienah felt she had an idea.

"Well. . . they've been following Malfoy for me," he said.

"Night and day," croaked Kreacher.

"Dobby has not slept for a week, Harry Potter!" said Dobby proudly, swaying where he stood. Hermione looked indignant.

"You haven't slept, Dobby? But surely, Harry, you didn't tell him not to —"

"No, of course I didn't," said Harry quickly. "Dobby, you can sleep, all right? But has either of you found out anything?" he hastened to ask, before Hermione could intervene again.

"Master Malfoy moves with a nobility that befits his pure blood," croaked Kreacher at once. "His features recall the fine bones of my mistress and his manners are those of—"

"Draco Malfoy is a bad boy!" squeaked Dobby angrily. "A bad boy who — who —" He shuddered from the tassel of his tea cozy to the toes of his socks and then ran at the fire, as though about to dive into it. Harry caught him around the middle and held him fast. For a few seconds Dobby struggled, then went limp.

"Thank you, Harry Potter," he panted. "Dobby still finds it difficult to speak ill of his old masters." Harry released him; Dobby straightened his tea cozy and said defiantly to Kreacher, "But Kreacher should know that Draco Malfoy is not a good master to a house-elf!"

"Yeah, we don't need to hear about you being in love with Malfoy," Harry told Kreacher. "Let's fast forward to where he's actually been going."

Kreacher bowed again, looking furious, and then said, "Master Malfoy eats in the Great Hall, he sleeps in a dormitory in the dungeons, he attends his classes in a variety of—"

"Dobby, you tell me," said Harry, cutting across Kreacher. "Has he been going anywhere he shouldn't have?"

"Harry Potter, sir," squeaked Dobby, his great orb-like eyes shining in the firelight, "the Malfoy boy is breaking no rules that Dobby can discover, but he is still keen to avoid detection. He has been making regular visits to the seventh floor with a variety of other students, who keep watch for him while he enters —"

"The Room of Requirement!" said Harry, smacking himself hard on the forehead with Advanced Potion-Making. Hermione and Ron stared at him. "That's where he's been sneaking off to! That's where he's doing… whatever he's doing!"

"Dobby, have you managed to get in to have a look at what Malfoy's doing?" said Harry eagerly.

"No, Harry Potter, that is impossible," said Dobby.

"No, it's not," said Harry at once. "Malfoy got into our headquarters there last year, so I'll be able to get in and spy on him, no problem."

"But I don't think you will, Harry," said Hermione slowly. "Malfoy already knew exactly how we were using the room, didn't he, because that stupid Marietta had blabbed. He needed the room to become the headquarters of the D.A., so it did. But you don't know what the room becomes when Malfoy goes in there, so you don't know what to ask it to transform into."

"There'll be a way around that," said Harry dismissively. "You've done brilliantly, Dobby."

"Kreacher's done well too," said Hermione kindly; but far from looking grateful, Kreacher averted his huge, bloodshot eyes and croaked at the ceiling, "The Mudblood is speaking to Kreacher, Kreacher will pretend he cannot hear —"

Gienah giggled. Once you adjusted to his madness it was a little amusing.

"Get out of it," Harry snapped at him, and Kreacher made one last deep bow and Disapparated. "You'd better go and get some sleep too, Dobby."

"Thank you, Harry Potter, sir!" squeaked Dobby happily, and he too vanished.

"How good is this?" said Harry enthusiastically, turning to them the moment the room was elf-free again. "We know where Malfoy's going! We've got him cornered now!"

"Yeah, it's great," said Ron glumly, who was attempting to mop up the sodden mass of ink chat had recently been an almost com-pleted essay. Hermione pulled it toward her and began siphoning the ink off with her wand.

"But what's all this about him going up there with a variety of students'?" said Hermione. "How many people are in on it? You wouldn't think he'd trust lots of them to know what he's doing-"

"Yeah, that is weird," said Harry, frowning. "I heard him telling Crabbe it wasn't Crabbe's business what he was doing... so what's he telling all these... all these..." Harry's voice trailed away; he was staring at the fire. "God, I've been stupid," he said quietly. "Its obvious, isn't it? There was a great vat of it down in the dungeon. . . . He could've nicked some any time during that lesson. . . ."

"Nicked what?" said Ron.

"Polyjuice Potion. He stole some of the Polyjuice Potion Slughorn showed us in our first Potions lesson… There aren't a whole variety of students standing guard for Malfoy… it's just Crabbe and Goyle as usual. …Yeah, it all fits!" said Harry, jumping up and starting to pace in front of the fire. "They're stupid enough to do what they're told even if he won't tell them what he's up to, but he doesn't want them to be seen lurking around outside the Room of Requirement, so he's got them taking Polyjuice to make them look like other people… Those two girls I saw him with when he missed Quidditch — ha! Crabbe and Goyle!"

"Do you mean to say," said Hermione in a hushed voice, "that that little girl whose scales I repaired — ?"

"Yeah, of course!" said Harry loudly, staring at her. "Of course! Malfoy must've been inside the room at the time, so she — what am I talking about? — he dropped the scales to tell Malfoy not to corne out, because there was someone there! And there was that girl who dropped the toadspawn too! We've been walking past him all the time and not realizing it!"

"He's got Crabbe and Goyle transforming into girls?" guffawed Ron. "Blimey… no wonder they don't look too happy these days. I'm surprised they don't tell him to stuff it."

"Well, they wouldn't, would they, if he's shown them his Dark Mark?" said Harry.

"Hmmm... the Dark Mark we don't know exists," said Hermione skeptically, rolling up Ron's dried essay before it could come to any more harm and handing it to him.

"We'll see" said Harry confidently.

"Yes, we will," Hermione said, getting to her feet and stretching. "But, Harry, before you get all excited, I still don't think you'll be able to get into the Room of Requirement without knowing what's there first'. And I don't think you should forget" — she heaved her bag onto her shoulder and gave him a very serious look — "that what you're supposed to be concentrating on is getting that memory from Slughorn. Good night."


	49. The Catch of the Century

Chapter Forty-Nine: **The Catch of the Century**

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _I managed to succeed on my task last night and went to see the headmaster, who returned from that very night! Seeing it he already knew the existence of what we discussed and was more interested in how many could be made. He mentioned seven as the magical number. You were right about the first two. Dumbledore believes he knows another two. I asked if I could help with the next one and he agreed. I can't help but feel maybe we can do it, maybe we can actually be rid of the bastard once and for all._

 _Harry_

Gienah felt completely useless lying on the sofa, a fan in one hand, Emma in the other. Zabini was on the living room floor reading The Frog Prince to Ambrosia and Mira. Once he'd finished he took them upstairs so they could take their naps in the twin bedroom. Zabini made them both a cup of tea and went to sit on the sofa, lifting her legs so her feet rested on his lap.

"Say we rent a house in Hogsmeade." Zabini said continuing the conversation they had left off the night before. "Is this a long term solution for us or..?"

Gienah closed her book and looked at him as she sipped her tea.

"Short-term" Gienah said. "I've been wondering how you'd feel about moving into the manor or the cottage? Of course you could choose to remain in your apartment or we could discuss a third living arrangement but while the war is going on I would prefer to be here or the Manor."

"I've told you Gienah, I'm selling the penthouse." Zabini said seriously.

They had argued the point last night. Gienah hadn't wanted him to sell his independence. Gienah remembered Zabini telling her how he had become sick of moving to various countries and had the penthouse brought to him by her last husband so he had one place he could call home. Gienah didn't want to take that away from him.

"I like it here. It's quaint and I like the fact it gets crowded and its where you spent your childhood. I say.. the cottage and after the war we can consider moving."

"That was less painful than I thought it'd be" Gienah smiled.

"Read to me." Zabini said as he put down his cup on the table and began massaging her foot.

"" _I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry. Were I to fall in love, indeed, it would be a different thing! but I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall. And, without love, I am sure I should be a fool to change such a situation as mine. Fortune I do not want; employment I do not want; consequence I do not want: I believe few married women are half as much mistress of their husband's house as I am of Hartfield; and never, never could I expect to be so truly beloved and important; so always first and always right in any man's eyes as I am in my father's._ "

 _"But then, to be an old maid-"_

Zabini chuckled and closed his eyes and fell very easily into the role of a doting husband as he listened to Gienah read a character that was much like her own. They whiled the afternoon away reading and at five Lupin returned home and they headed into the kitchen leaving Zabini to see to the children.

"Dad" Gienah said, once she heard Zabini climbing the stairs. "Will you _please_ tell me where you've been the last few months? I've not had a single letter due to 'compromising your position' but enough dad, I've been having nightmares about you and an alpha fighting in wolf form for primacy!"

Lupin chuckled as he peeled the potatoes by hand.

"Nothing like that Gen." Lupin assured her. "The pack I was stationed with were badly persecuted and thus deprived, living a poorly life, vagabonds of Eastern Europe. They wouldn't have trusted me if they knew what kind of life I lived. It's been the most successful endeavour so far. They've pledged their allegiance to Dumbledore."

"What does that mean then?" Gienah asked.

"That they will join arms with the Order if required." Lupin explained. "However, it's not our most strategic victory. They may be the most loyal but they're location is miles off any real death eater activity. But we're hoping one packs allegiance will inspire others."

Gienah sighed.

"Congratulations dad." Gienah smiled. "You're really making a difference. How's Nicholas doing?"

"Good" Lupin smiled. "Managed to get a few GCSE's. He's coming here for the summer, doing a placement at the reserve."

"Oh?" Gienah said.

"Sirius is paying him in board and lodging." Lupin said.

"He thinks I'm a vampire." Gienah said. "And knows I can shapeshift."

"He's trustworthy but if you preferred I could obliviate him." Lupin said.

"I - I'll ask Professor Snape."

"That might be best." Lupin agreed. "How were your lessons this year?"

"Incredible. Both the DADA lessons and the evening classes. Snape's.. well, lets put it this way. I wouldn't be surprised if he matched dumbledore's notoriety in fifty years."

"Nor I." Lupin said, taking a pan and filling it with water.

 _If he survives that long_ Gienah thought, but didn't voice her fears in case he asked why. She couldn't tell him that her mentor was going to fool them all soon enough.

"How's the school going?" Gienah asked, not liking to dwell too much on the professor's fate.

"I don't know if Andromeda told you -"

"That you had twelve more students this year? Yeah." Gienah beamed at him and nodded.

"Three squibs, four muggleborns and five half-blood and pureblood witches and wizards." Lupin said enthusiastically. "We now have a class of seven all the same age. And another spanning two years instead of five. I've begun a bursary scheme for students that live further away."

"You've come so far." Gienah said.

"Soon it'll be crawling with Black's."

They heard the floo from the kitchen and then followed by Bella.

"You have no idea Giennah." Bellatrix drawled. "You are a sight for sore eyes darling."

"How's work?" Gienah grinned, kissing her on the cheek.

"Exhausting." Bellatrix lamented. "Be damned with paperwork I say. Did you know that muggles use these things like calculators, you know the mechanical thingymebobs, pooters or something of the like, that could do my job ten times faster than I can! Arthur was telling me yesterday. Can you imagine? Reports and small print would just require a wave of a wand to file and then detect whenever I fancied at the drop of a hat."

"Computers Bella." Gienah laughed. "Ron's looking to become an engineer to incorporate muggle technology with magic."

"I'll commission him right away." Bellatrix yawned. "Tell him, my fortune is his if he can make bureaucracy disappear….Do excuse me love, I desperately need to unwind in a nice, long bath."

"Well - she's in a chipper mood." Gienah said a moment later, looking pleasantly surprised.

"Yes.. we've been extremely fortunate the war has barely touched us." Lupin said. "But I can't help but feel this is the calm before the storm. I'm placing the cottage under a fidelius charm after you return to school. These disappearances are happening too often for my liking. Olaf's installed cameras at the school and we've been discussing warding options with the muggle-born children."

"It's initiatives like this that the ministry ought have been funding twenty years ago." Gienah said bitterly. "To turn up on your front door on your eleventh birthday and announce that you belong to an alternative world where things you've been told all your life was make believe exists is the most pathetic method of integration. The only thing that could be any worse is to leave them in the muggle world forever. It only supports mistrust from both sides of the spectrum and promotes anti-muggle feeling by fuelling validity of their argument among wizards concerned for their precious status-."

"Bravo, bravo" Zabini had come in with Ambrosia in his arms. "Black for president I say."

"Hello Blaise." Lupin chuckled.

"Remus" Blaise smiled. "How was your day?"

"Tiring but fulfilling." Lupin said, pouring cream into a pan. "How do you fancy shepherd's pie for dinner?"

"I'm game." Zabini said. "Quorn is it, or fufu?"

"Tofu" Gienah said sourly.

"A little bit of quorn but mainly lentils, mushrooms and chickpeas."

"Baby cook" Ambrosia said, wriggling in Zabini's grasp.

"Anything she can do?" Zabini said.

"Let her try to mash a potato." Gienah said, waving her wand and placing a bowl, a hand masher and a potato on the island.

"Alrighty, have at it kid." Zabini said, showing her the motion.

"How's Harry doing?" Lupin asked.

"Brilliant quidditch captain" Gienah replied, looking at him briefly before continuing. "I think he fancies Ginny."

"Sirius did say they seemed close on Lyra's birthday."

"How is Lyra doing?" Lupin asked.

"Fine" Gienah yawned. "She's become good friends with Elliott Quentin, a Slytherin she met on the train.. They bonded over their toads."

Zabini snorted.

"Want toad" Ambrosia said to Zabini, tugging at his shirt. "Lyra toad. Mama Vaksha. Rosie toad."

"She makes a compelling case." Zabini said, raising an eyebrow to Gienah.

"No Rosie. You wanted a snake last week and an owl the week before that. A familiar is not a toy you can discard when you get bored of it darling."

Ambrosia pouted at Zabini who melted at the sight.

Twenty minutes later they sat at the table with a hearty meal before them. Bellatrix had come down smelling like lavender, carrying Leo and Elara down with her. Mira, Maiya, Ambrosia and Isla were being fed by Winky in the kitchen.

"Blaise and I have decided to stay at the cottage." Gienah said tentatively to Lupin and Bellatrix. "If you don't mind that is - after Hogwarts."

"Of course we don't mind!" Bellatrix said. "Between hours at work and the twins silent coffee mornings and bathroom run ins are the only social time I'll get for the next ten years."

"Gienah, this is as much your home as mine." Lupin said quietly. "You know that."

Gienah kissed her father and rested her head against his shoulder.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _How are you? Ambrosia must be chuffed to return to the cottage. It's not too exciting at Hogwarts, not that I'm complaining. Studying, library… Oh Lavender and Ron broke up, as did Dean and Ginny. Harry seems to be paying her a lot of attention these days. And Katie Bell's back but she has no recollection concerning the attack. Imperiused by the sounds of it. Malfoy's looking terrible._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

Between revision and rereading the entire works of Jane Austen the week before the twins were due was a blur when Gienah looked back at her Easter at the cottage as a fortnight spent in a sanctuary. Though she continued to read the newspapers and received news from Harry notifying her on Dumbledore's progress she felt like she was in a place the war couldn't touch. With six children in the house there was too much life to be too concerned with death.

 _Dear Gienah,_

 _Hope you're not still mad. Here is some chocolate for you anyway. Lavender and me broke up - man do I enjoy being a free agent. Dean and Ginny broke up too. Can't say I'm not pleased. She doesn't even look that cut up about it. Lavender's been glaring at me - downright terrifying._

 _Quidditch practice been going really well. Think we have a real chance. Urm, what else? Hermione made me write this letter. Actually quite nice to go on a bit without being interrupted._

 _Oh and Harry's obsessed with Malfoy again and Hermione told me that you wanted us to get some duelling practice in with the old DA. She's planning a session for tomorrow evening. Any particular reason Gen? Give us a bit of credit. After six years we do know when you're keeping something from us. Not having a go or anything._

 _Ron_

The pregnancy went smoothly and on the 31st March Gienah gave birth to two healthy baby boys. Sirius Jr and Eridanus. Sirius swelled up with pride and gratitude as Gienah named her child Sirius IV. Ambrosia seemed to understand that they were her very own little brothers like Leo was Libra's very own brother. When the time came for Gienah to leave with the twins Ambrosia had her worst tantrum to date. When Winky tried to stop her from running into the fireplace with her mother she was scratched everywhere in reach of Ambrosia's claws.

The balmy days slid gently through May, and Gienah grew more and more anxious as the attack would happen any day now. Between feeding the twins, revision and duelling practice Gienah had little time for anything else. Zabini had began sleeping in her bed most nights. A welcome change as he happily saw to the twins when they woke up crying five in the morning. Gienah hadn't said a word about Snape's veiled warning to anyone, but the old DA showed the same dedication they did last year. Deyanira had improved the most and become an even match for Hermione who was a fair dueller. Ron picked up the pace in spell casting, something he'd been struggling with for years but continued to lack real originality with his attacks; something Harry tried to work with him on. Luna was exceptional, though she was reluctant to injure her opponent and would only really attack with a stunning spell or a severe tickling charm, the level of her transfiguration work was worthy of a smile from their transfiguration master. What Neville lacked in skill he more than made up for with tactical foresight and sheer effort. Ginny was fierce and was able to keep her own with Harry.

Meanwhile the final Quidditch game of the season was looming; Ron wanted to talk tactics all the time and had little thought for anything else. Ron was not unique in this respect; interest in the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw game was running extremely high throughout the school, for the match would decide the Championship, which was still wide open. If Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw by a margin of three hundred points then they would win the Championship. If they won by less than three hundred points, they would come second to Ravenclaw; if they lost by a hundred points they would be third behind Hufflepuff and if they lost by more than a hundred, they would be in fourth place making their first bottom-of-the-table defeat in two centuries.

The run-up to this crucial match had all the usual features: members of rival Houses attempting to intimidate opposing teams in the corridors; unpleasant chants about individual players being rehearsed loudly as they passed; the team members themselves either swaggering around enjoying all the attention or else dashing into bathrooms between classes to throw up. Gienah smiled sadly at how early her childhood had ended but these forlorn smiles were all but a thing of the past when she saw Zabini with their children.

Gienah had taken to regularly looking at the map for any sign of death eaters when she saw a most unlikely trio in the bathroom. Gienah saw Malfoy's tiny, labeled dot standing in a boys' bathroom on the floor below, accompanied by Harry and Moaning Myrtle… Knowing this couldn't be good Gienah sprinted down the marble staircase and along the passageway below. She heard a loud bang and an explosion as she charged in.

The cistern beneath Moaning Myrtle smashed and water poured everywhere and Harry slipped as Malfoy, his face contorted, cried, "Cruci —"

Gienah threw her shield charm too late and when Harry yelled a curse no better than a Crucio, so dark it deserved to have the status of an unforgivable, Gienah watched in horror as blood spurted from Malfoy's face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword. He staggered backward and collapsed onto the waterlogged floor with a great splash, his wand falling from his limp right hand.

"No —" gasped Harry.

Gienah ran over to him, only briefly registering his face now shining scarlet, his white hands scrabbling at his blood-soaked chest.

"No — I didn't —"

Harry fell to his knees beside Malfoy, who was shaking uncontrollably in a pool of his own blood while Gienah weaved her wand in complex movements chanting under her breath. Moaning Myrtle let out a deafening scream: "MURD-"

Gienah silenced her without her wand and continued to mutter the incantation that sounded like a song. The flow of blood seemed to ease; Gienah wiped the residue from Malfoy's face and repeated the spell. Now the wounds seemed to be knitting. Gienah was sobbing, but she allowed the tears to fall as she focused in the task at hand.

Moaning Myrtle was still wailing overhead. When she had performed her countercurse for the third time she whispered to Malfoy "You need the hospital wing. Dittany . . ."

"No." Malfoy said weakly. "No time."

"Harry" Gienah said coolly. "In my chambers in the kitchen cupboard there is a vial of clear green potion. Bring it at once."

Harry didn't need to be told a second time, he ran out, his footsteps splashing the the flooded bathroom. Gienah ripped Malfoy's shirt out and used it to soak up the blood. Gienah then waved her wand and the water in the bathroom vanished. She placed her cloak beneath his head and looked at him looking up at her. Gienah took his hand in hers and kissed him.

"So young.." Gienah murmured, her eyes looking frantically in his. "To bear such a burden."

Harry returned and handed her the small vial. Gienah teared the tails of her shirt and dropped a little of the dittany on it before dabbing the damp cotton on his wounds.

"Draco." Gienah said clearly. He was barely conscious. "I need you to walk with me to my chambers, only up the stairs - otherwise I will have to admit you to Madame Pomfrey."

Malfoy nodded.

Gienah buttoned his shirt, threw her cloak over him and placed his arm around her shoulders. He was able to walk fine, but the movement irritated his newly woven skin. Gienah placed him on her bed and wrapped his wounds in bandages, gave him two doses of blood replenishing potion and closed the door quietly. Harry was standing by her window, he turned when he heard the door open.

"The book Harry." Gienah said. "You read that spell from a book. Did the book explain what the curse did to the victim you cast it upon Harry?"

Her voice was cold and distant.

"No." Harry said pathetically.

"A spell you found handwritten from a book, with no description of the curse and you cast it in a petty duel with your school nemesis." Gienah continued.

Gienah looked at Harry for a moment.

"I wouldn't even use an unknown spell on Voldemort Harry." Gienah said quietly. "In case my wand blew up. Or we caused a rift in time. Merlin knows."

Harry was looking at the floor.

"I'll hide the book - I'll get rid of it." Harry said desperately.

There was a knock on the door.

Harry paled as Gienah answered the door.

"Draco" Snape said immediately. Gienah pointed at her bedroom.

Snape appeared two minutes later.

"I couldn't have healed him better myself Gienah" Snape said quietly when he returned.

"Potter." Snape's tone changed immediately. "Come with me."

Gienah hesitated, but Harry followed Snape promptly. Gienah sighed. Snape wasn't going to let him off easily. Missy returned from the kitchens with the twins at six, Gienah fed them and put them to bed in the living room. Gienah spent the rest of the evening by his bedside, reading through her History of Magic notes when Zabini came in and froze by the door.

"What is Draco doing in our bed?" Zabini said in a tight voice.

"Blaise" Gienah said in a soothing tone. "He got into a duel with Harry and was wounded pretty badly - well - on death's door really." Gienah laughed nervously. "He didn't want to go to Madame Pomfrey so I brought him back here instead."

Zabini groaned.

"Must you be such a saint?" He asked weakly. "You should have taken him to the hospital wing Gienah."

"There would have been questions and the whole school would have known by breakfast tomorrow" Gienah said firmly.

Zabini sighed and shook his head at Gienah, though she knew she had won the argument.

"I'll sleep on the sofa then." Zabini said.

"Don't be silly." Gienah laughed. "Sleep in the dungeons."

"That sounded.. ominous" Zabini yawned. "But no, I don't trust him with you.. even bedridden"..

"Your faith in my fidelity is flattering." Gienah said dryly, walking up to him and placing a lazy kiss on his mouth.

It accelerated quickly. Zabini had her panting against the door in a few minutes before she regained her self control.

"Good night" Gienah smiled as she pushed him out the door.

"Shame", came a drawl from her bed. "If I couldn't have you I wouldn't have minded watching someone else ravish you."

Gienah blushed crimson.

"Nurse" Malfoy smirked. "My pillow needs fluffing."

Gienah gritted her teeth and tried to remember the empathy she had felt moments ago as she lifted his head and punched his pillow.

"Better?" Gienah snapped.

She looked at Malfoy who was staring at her chest Gienah looked down and saw that the front of her gown had fallen open, and her nightdress was hung low on her shoulder from Zabini's ministrations giving Malfoy a unobscured view of half her chest. Gienah blushed furiously and adjusted her nightgown and tightened her robes around her tightly.

Malfoy sat up and looked at her in the way he did sometime. Blazing.

"Gienah." He said softly. He was pleading.

"What?" Gienah attempted to say harshly, but she failed.

"I'm probably going to die in this war." He said weakly. "Will you not grant a dead man walking his only wish?"

"What is your wish?" Gienah felt her throat dry up.

"Sleep with me tonight."

"No."

"I won't touch you in any inappropriate way." Malfoy said quietly. "Just lie with me."

Gienah looked at him blankly.

"Until I fall asleep?"

Gienah sighed. He looked too vulnerable to refuse. An innocent act - surely Gienah repeated to herself as she switched off the lights, lit the lamp on her side of the bed and slipped into the covers. She kept her back on him though she could feel his warmth and hear the sound of his breath. Gienah had her book open but she wasn't reading.

Malfoy was staring at the back of her head, the way her hair fell around her, exposing a part of her delectable neck, her sheer night dress that sat low on her back, exposing creamy expanse of skin and most of all the scent he hungered after surrounding him. It lingered on the pillows, the duvet, and most of all from her. It would be a dream to wake up to her scent every morning and again the beast inside of him roared at the thought of Zabini, taking from him what he had sought for so long. Gienah's arm fell, the book lay beside her as she curled up beside him, her back touched the side of his waist and he inhaled sharply. Chastising himself for allowing one touch to bring him such desire. Malfoy listened to her deep breathing for a few minutes before he decided to throw caution to throw caution to the wind and wrap his arm around her waist, bringing her flush against him. His face was at the crook of her neck. He moaned lightly. Then she muttered in her sleep. Malfoy stilled and to his horror she turned and threw a slender arm over his shoulder and threw her leg between his, her knee lying tantalizingly near his crotch. Malfoy closed his eyes. He was going to hell for this if he hadn't secured his spot already. But he couldn't move now, he reasoned to himself. She would wake up and panic. He would just wait for her to go back to her side of the bed- and leave before morning - before she even woke up. As he thought this her arms tightened around his neck and his face rested on her bosom. If he didn't have a raging hard on before he certainly had one now. Don't pinch me he thought as he carefully pulled her gown down and he bit his lip at her naked breast. Without thinking he darted his tongue around her nipple and watched in fascination as it hardened. Gienah moaned and her hand stroked the nape of his head.

"Blaise." Gienah murmured.

Malfoy felt his heart constrain. It was a sad kind of comfort to him knowing he was a dead man anyway. If he had his whole life ahead of him.. Unshackled to the allegiance made by his father.. He would have fought harder for her. Promised to himself it would be his name she uttered in the deepest recesses of her subconscious. Malfoy covered her naked breast, pulled her arm away from him and kissed her on the forehead before he left her, like most of his conquests, in the middle of the night.

Gienah woke up five in the morning, frowning at the empty space near her bed before she remembered it had not been Blaise she had gone to sleep with but Malfoy. A Malfoy that was nowhere to be seen. Gienah lay there a few moments trying to forget that Malfoy had been in her bed, they had shared a bed, however brief, he had pleaded her. Draco Malfoy was the perfect malcontent if her life had been a play. The brooding Hamlet.

Gienah went down for breakfast early that morning, and as she poured herself a third cup of coffee over news of an international dispute with the French Minister Harry joined her with a look of desperation.

"I need you." Harry said.

"Really not the first three words I want to hear eight in the morning Harry." Gienah sighed.

"Snape's put me in detention on Saturday morning." Harry said with a look of sheer anguish. "You need to play seeker."

Gienah stared at him.

"You were meant to be captain this year, not me." Harry continued to plead. "I see the way you look before every match. You miss being in the air. You miss the adrenaline. The crowds."

"Harry" Gienah said weakly. "I haven't been on a broom for months. I'm out of shape. I just gave birth to twins for Merlin's sake!"

"We don't have another practiced seeker on the team Gen" Harry said in exasperation.

"You don't have a reserve seeker?" Gienah asked disbelievingly.

"We can't lose Ginny as a chaser." Harry said. "And as good as Deyanira is, she hasn't got the experience. You've got three days".

Masses of students were streaming out into the sunshine, all of them wearing rosettes and hats and brandishing banners and scarves while Gienah stood in a circle in the changing room being thankful she was playing seeker. The dynamic had completely changed and as a chaser she'd have been a complete liability.

"We know the score." Gienah began seriously. "A margin of three hundred points. I won't catch the snitch until we're leading by one fifty. Fifteen goals. Three chasers. Ron-" Ron was looking green. "Put your game face on. Don't let the Slytherin's get to you. Peakes, Coote - focus on keeping the ball in possession. I've only lost the cup one year in my time here and I'm not losing this for Harry."

"For Harry", the team repeated, all looking either grim faced or a little peaky.

They heard the first whistle and lined up in order. Ron led the team out onto the pitch. The crowd roared. The Gryffindor's were out in force. Banners were out, red and gold drowned the blue and bronze. Harry had been right. She had missed the crowds.

"The most turbulent team this year. Injuries earlier on in the year have put the erratic keeper Ron Weasley and veteran chaser Katie Bell out of play. Following a poor showing from the reserves means they've got a hell of a lead to win if they're taking the Quidditch Cup home for the Gryffindor's."

Gienah looked at the stands and sure enough it was Deyanira sitting in the commentator's box.

"Today we've had a last minute change of captaincy, Potter unable to play is being filled in by the youngest seeker in a century, Gienah Black. With four years experience under her belt and a near perfect record, Potter has left his team in capable hands. The crowds are out in force tonight. Ravenclaw's are on edge and looking at the lineup here who can blame them. All eyes will be on Ginny Weasley, a superb chaser and a real promise for scouts on the lookout in the crowds tonight."

"And here come the Ravenclaws. Cho Chang's not done too bad, the team has also had a complete reshuffle. Another female dominated team. Chambers and Bradley are joined by Fenchurch, Brocklehurst, Hitchin and Brooks. Waiting reserves for three years - Fenchurch and Brooks - and a real credit to the team. Consistent showing from Brooks keeping skills."

The whistle blew and fifteen brooms took to the air. Gienah relished the feel of the wind in her hair.

"And they're off!" Deyanira shouted. "Weasley in possession."

Gienah looked around. She had to keep an eye on the snitch and make sure at all costs Chang was prevented from catching it before the lead was up. Gienah looked at the pretty seeker and sure enough she was frantically looking for an early win. It was the her best bet. Gienah smirked.

"New formations at play here, Potter's got himself a professional trio, Weasley leads, Robins tears away from their attack and Robins in possession with a clear flight to the third hoop aand Brooks misses it by the fingertips, Robins scores! Ten-zero to Gryffindor. Fourteen more to go girls."

Gienah had no idea how Woods was able to stand the pressure as keeper while keeping an eye on his team. Gienah kept forgetting herself and hovering mid-air watching the play beneath her. The sky was cast with clouds but the rain was staying at bay. Gienah watched Chang from the corner of her eye.

"Peakes hits a bludger at Bradley, Bradley flies off course and drops the quaffle. Weasley in position. Robins, Weasley, Robins, Bell and ooh - a nasty bludger from Hitchin's. Ravenclaw in possession, Fenchurch, Chambers - and he's surrounded, sharp turn - Peakes finds his target. Weasley in possession, Bradley and Fenchurch trailing behind but she's speeding towards Brooks, and it's a joy to watch, not a flicker of hesitation as she pelts the quaffle into the centre goal. Twenty- zero to Gryffindor!"

Ron was lazily zooming around the hoops, doing a few figure eights every time they scored. Gienah cheered but then she saw a glimmer of gold behind Ron and groaned. Damn McLaggen. It would have been an easy victory. Gienah watched Chang hovering near the ground at the centre and dove towards Brooks, breaking the Ravenclaw's hawkshead towards Ron and saw with a smirk that Chang was speeding towards the Ravenclaw hoops. She circled and headed skyward and saw the snitch was lost in sight once again.

"First Weasley gets to see of the quaffle. The anticipation is palpable. Fenchurch takes it. Centre hoop and I can't believe it, Weasley saves it with the end of his broom! Weasley in possession, Robins and Bell SCORES! The crowd is delirious."

Gienah saw Hermione throw gold and red streamers into the air as the crowds began a rousing display of Weasley is our king. Gienah shadowed Chang carefully, distracting her a few times as Ron saved another goal, and Ginny scored another three goals.

"Eighty-ten to Gryffindor!" Deyanira shouted as Ginny scored her fifth goal. Gienah high fived her as she came streaming past her.

Gienah was grinning just when her heart sank. Chang was racing up her hand reached out in front of her, a glimmer of gold crowning the stadium. Gienah urged her firebolt forward and out of nowhere a bludger knocked Chang's broom spinning her violently as Gienah passed her and sighed at the snitch fluttering a metre away from her. A second later it had disappeared again.

"A superb hit from Coote." Deyanira said as the crowds sighed, groaned and booed and scattered with cheers. "Black lets the snitch go despite being an arms length away.. Lets hope the sacrifice was worth it. That could have been a second place."

Gienah glumly soared past the Slytherin stands and saw Zabini with her two sons sitting near Parkinson and Malfoy. Gienah waved before returning to the match.

"And she scores! Two hundred and ten to twenty to Gryffindor!" Deyanira shouted over the jubilant cries of Gryffindors.

Gienah was frantically looking for the snitch now but it had typically disappeared when she needed it most. Chang had attempted diversionary tactics which had left her as much as a disadvantage as Gienah. She was getting desperate. The match was getting dirtier. They were an hour and a half into the game.

"A nasty bludger from Hitchen's there to the Gryffindor chaser." Deyanira said as the crowd hissed. "Unexpected behaviour from the Ravenclaws. Worthy of a Slytherin and it's the first penalty of the day for Gryffindor. Weasley takes it and - scores. That's three hundred- one twenty for Gryffindor. It all hands by a thread. The seeker is the playmaker at this point in the game. A gryffindor catch and Black wins the Cup for Gryffindor for the fourth time. A ravenclaw catch and Chang loses the match but gains the cup with a humble victory."

Gienah wasn't listening anymore, she scoured every inch of the stadium, moving so fast the bludgers have given up aiming for her. Chang was losing her touch, she was flagging. Gienah was at the heights of the stadium when she finally saw the snitch forty metres south west. Gienah didn't look to mark Chang, she dove placing her whole body weight to the left, urging the firebolt forward. She felt someone at her tail but she was ten metres away, five, two - Gienah let go of her broomstick and pushed herself off the broom as Chang shoved her broom off course in a deliberate foul. Gienah was flying without a broomstick, she curled her fingers around the golden ball as hundreds of spectators saw the firebolt spin right, the seeker dive left and Chang at the centre with her jaw dropped at Gienah's perilous capture before she plummeted towards the ground. Just before she hit the ground Ron had caught Gienah by the collar of her robes. Gienah screamed as she was caught in the fabric, then she heard an ominous rip and then there was nothing.

"Four fifty to one forty" Harry whistled. "She's outdone herself."

"I've got to say though" Zabini drawled. "The she weasel single handedly won that game."

"Oy!" Ginny's voice came from the distance.

"Didn't see you there." Zabini said unapologetically.

"Where've you-" Harry began.

"Did I see you-" Ron said.

"I was just sayin-" Zabini started.

Gienah finally opened her eyes. Zabini was next to her smirking. Ron looked green again and Harry, well she couldn't see Harry's face because he was too busy sucking face with a certain red haired chaser.

An hour later, once she was reluctantly discharged by Madame Pomfrey they returned to the tower. Through the portrait hole the party was well underway but when they saw Ginny, Harry, Ron and Gienah walk through the entrance the entire common room roared and cheered and clapped and cried. It was filled with more people than she'd ever seen in the common room before. There were a few members of the DA that certainly weren't in Gryffindor. Luna, Ernie, Padma.. and Lyra's Slytherin friend, Elliot Quentin.

Gienah had many strangers pat her on the back that night, and too many bottles of butterbeer. Missy had taken the boys an hour ago to put them to bed.

"Gienah!" Lyra beamed at her as she came to perch on the armchair Zabini was sitting on with Gienah on his lap. "That catch is going down in history I reckon."

"That was one moment" Gienah waved her hand. "Ginny scored twenty two times. A Hogwarts record I reckon."

"Quentin" Zabini said in surprise. "You're braver than you look - entering the lions den."

Gienah hit him playfully on the arm but she couldn't contradict him. Elliott Quentin was a small boy with mousy brown hair and large blue eyes. He was very pretty but she'd never actually heard him speak.

"Zabini" Quentin smiled nervously. "Lyra made me."

"I don't see you complaining now you're here." Lyra laughed.

Lyra had grown up to be a happy person. There was no other way to describe her. She smiled at everyone, laughed easily and was never known to say a mean word. She was considerate, loved by everyone because she loved everyone. Gienah was surprised that she had ended up in Ravenclaw knowing the girl to be fiercely loyal, Hufflepuff seemed to be natural house for her. When she hadn't looked Gienah had become a miniature Hermione. Of course Gienah knew from first hand experience that the girl loved the Lupin library and had spent most of her days by the window in the children's section on a little rocking chair as she devoured book after book. But she didn't go around with her nose buried in a book. Quite the opposite. She was social and graceful. She spoke to everyone and listened too. She asked people questions and learnt from what they had to say. She was an active learner. Now Gienah could look back at her childhood and say it was inevitable really - hadn't she spent her summers on the reserve learning about magical creatures, and not only facts on their properties and diet but the time and effort it took to care for these creatures. And hadn't she spent her adolescence in Lupin's company, and wasn't her mother a teacher for the first magical primary school in Britain? And then, of course, there was Bellatrix. A woman that entered her life at an impressionable age with a past life stemmed in the dark arts. Lyra had watched Bellatrix ask for redemption and lead a life of rehabilitation. Lyra had seen with her own eyes the possibility of people to change, however dark their beginnings were and however many mistakes they made. Lyra could attest to the magic in forgiveness. And, finally, she had grown up surrounded by love. Romantic love, familial love, love for books, magical creatures, and love for love itself. Pandora respected her, Mira, Cassiopeia, Althena and Ambrosia adored her, and the other children simply loved her as only a child could love. That is - without any expectation, without airs and grace and without complication. A love that knows no bounty.

"Gienah", Zabini interrupted her thoughts and brought her back to the dwindling numbers in the common room. Gienah looked around. Lyra had gone.

"What house do you think Pan'll be in?" Zabini asked her.

"Slytherin" Gienah said without a doubt.

"That'd be nice." Zabini yawned. "Cedrella's my one ally in that lion infested cottage."

"Andromeda was in slytherin." Gienah pointed out.

"Andromeda married a hufflepuff."

"You only say that because Cedric was in hufflepuff." Gienah huffed.

Zabini's lips curled into a smirk.


	50. The Battle of the Astronomy Tower

Chapter Fifty: **Battle of the Astronomy Tower**

'You'd think people had better things to gossip about,' drawled Ginny, as she sat on the common-room floor, leaning against Harry's legs and reading the Daily Prophet. Three Dementor attacks in a week, and all Romilda Vane does is ask me if it's true you've got a Hippogriff tattooed across your chest.'

Gienah, Ron and Hermione roared with laughter. Harry ignored them.

'What did you tell her?'

'Told her it's a Hungarian Horntail,' said Ginny, turning a page of the newspaper idly. 'Much more macho.'

"Thanks,' said Harry, grinning. 'And what did you tell her Ron's got?'

'A Pygmy Puff, but I didn't say where.'

Ron scowled as Hermione and Gienah rolled around laughing.

'Watch it,' he said, pointing wamingly at Harry and Ginny. 'Just because I've given my permission doesn't mean I can't withdraw it -'

"Your permission", scoffed Ginny. 'Since when did you give me permission to do anything?'

'Just as long as you don't start snogging each other in public -'

'You filthy hypocrite! What about you and Lavender, thrashing around like a pair of eels all over the place?' demanded Ginny.

Ron glowered at her and Hermione stopped laughing.

Gienah was pleased for Harry but she couldn't help but feel Ginny was completely in love with Harry. She didn't show it - not like Lavender but she could see it in the way she kissed him, as if he'd fade away in any second. Gienah didn't voice her concerns. Perhaps love wasn't always destined to be perfect. Harry would fall in love with her with time, he was too kind, too giving and too chivalrous not to.

"In war there is no duelling etiquette." Gienah said as she walked back and forth before the DA in the Room of Requirement. "You may be facing one opponent or three. You may be attacked unprepared, with your back turned. You may be ambushed and have no wand to defend yourself. In these situations it is not perfected duelling technique that will aid your survival."

Gienah stopped and looked at the students before her. Looking at the varied ages she felt a small sorrow for the loss of their childhoods. They should have learnt to duel for fun, as an art, not for their lives. Lyra and Elliott stood at the end. Lyra had her wand in her hand, prepared to begin, a determined expression on her face. Gienah stopped between the two.

"Your friends may betray you."

Gienah then walked past Harry as she said "And your enemies may save you. Now how can I teach you to prepare for a war outside the classroom?"

"Practice?" Lyra said eagerly.

"We are going on a field trip." Gienah said grinning.

Gienah disillusioned the group and with the Marauder's Map snuck them out of the castle and into the boundaries of the forbidden forest. She had already requested permission from Magorian and they would promised they wouldn't intervene.

"Harry, Deyanira, Ron, Elliott, Luna, Collin, Seamus" Gienah said their names, throwing a black bundle at them as they stepped forward. "You are death eaters."

Harry looked at the pointed dunce hat shaped baklava and raised his eyebrow. Ron chuckled and put his one on.

"Hermione, Ginny, Lyra, Neville, Dennis, Dean, Katie" Gienah continued. "Are the aurors. In a second the death eaters will be given a ten minute head start to find the oldest tree in the forest with a hollow. Within that hollow lies a glass ball. If you drop it, it will vanish. The person who drops it will die."

"They'll die?" Hermione repeated.

"They'll be eliminated." Gienah said quickly. "Your task is simple. Gain the ball, and capture your enemy. There are no other rules."

A few grinned, and drew their wands excitedly. Others looked weary.

"There are dark creatures in the forest." Neville said nervously.

"Yes.." Gienah grinned. "I would advise you not to venture alone."

Gienah called the death eaters forward and took them a few metres within the forest and gave them all a piece of paper.

"Do not reveal your true allegiance. There is a spy within your party and a traitor among your enemy. Good luck."

Gienah returned to the aurors who were chatting nervously among themselves. Gienah handed them each a folded paper and repeated the same information.

"What will you be doing?" Lyra asked.

"Making sure no one actually kills themselves." Gienah said seriously.

Minutes passed and Gienah made a cry of a thestral and the hunt began. Gienah waited for the last person to enter the forest before she transformed into a black raven and followed the group from the air. The aurors split into two with Hermione leading Dean, Katie and Dennis. Ginny led the second group right at the fork of the path with the rest. Gienah followed Ginny's group keeping a close eye on Lyra.

"How are we meant to know what the oldest tree in the forest looks like?" Lyra whispered breathlessly to Neville ten minutes later.

"The oldest trees in magical forests remain at the heart." Neville whispered back knowledgeably. "The older they are, the whiter their bark and the stronger their magic. You'll be able to sense it."

Lyra tripped on a root and Ginny caught her, when they heard a noise. Ginny pulled Neville and Lyra behind her. Out of the shadows emerged a seven foot slimy creature.

"Is that an ogre?" Lyra said in disgust.

"It's a ghoul.." Ginny said. "We have one in the attic."

"Oh well - they're harmless creatures." Lyra said with a sigh and took a step forward but the ghoul prowled forward and gnashed its teeth.

"Usually." Ginny murmured.

"How do you fight a ghoul?" Neville said in a high pitched voice.

"You don't." Ginny laughed weakly. "Run!"

Ginny pulled Lyra by the hand and ran off the path and further into the forest. Gienah groaned as she followed them. A ghoul was harmless compared to Acromantula. Neville found one first and the forest echoed from the shriek he made as he saw one small spider scuttle past his feet and then looked forward to see its mother. Lyra seemed undaunted and began to speak to the spider. Ginny stopped to look at Lyra make fierce clicking noises with her teeth. The mother responded, called its child and returned towards their nest.

"You speak to spiders?" Ginny asked incredulously.

But the ghoul had returned and Lyra sighed as they made to run back towards the centre of the forest. Gienah left them to it, rolling her eyes. A ghoul was easily overcome with fire. They shoed away from light. Neville ought to have known that, they'd only covered it with Snape straight after dementors.

Gienah headed towards the old tree and saw Harry reach it first, but he was shadowed by Hermione who preyed on him behind a tree. Deyanira whooped with joy before Harry clamped his hand around her mouth. He put a finger to his mouth and drew his wand, the ball protected around his other arm.

Harry whispered a spell and the clearing with the white tree was filled with a fog so thick it looked solid. He gestured Elliott and Deyanira to hold hands as the fog oozed its way around them. Harry was still able to see, it was the genius of the spell. Blind your opponents while your sight remained unobscured. He watched as Hermione came out from behind the tree and attempted to clear the fog that rose from the earth. Enveloped she tried spell after spell. By the time she had realized a freezing charm did the trick she looked around and saw that Katie, Dean and Dennis had disappeared.

"Great" Hermione muttered as she placed her back towards the tree and looked around. "Homunus Revelio."

Wispy figures appeared from back into the forest, the deeper part of the forest. Hermione edged around the tree and focused her eyes into the darkness.

"Finite Incantatem!" Hermione said sharply.

Katie, Dean and Dennis were bound and gagged, tied to a tree squirming in an attempt to escape. Hermione's spell had also lifted the spell off Deyanira and Elliot.

"Stupefy!" Hermione said at once, capturing Elliott who was too surprised by his discovery to raise a shield charm. As soon as she cried the stunning spell another spell hit her a metre off from Elliott. Hermione and Elliott both fell to the floor.

Harry captured the rest of the Aurors in the next half hour, all bound around the tree.

"But who is the traitor?" Deyanira said, looking suspiciously around them all.

Harry disappeared.

One by one the death eaters fell. Ginny remained and growled as she prowled the clearing.

A flash of red came from the spot Hermione fell and missed Ginny by an inch.

"Relashio!" Ginny spelled almost instinctively and Harry cried out in pain.

Ginny ran towards the sound, lifted the cloak and immediately attempted to heal his wound. When the wound closed on his chest, Ginny apologized, her eyes glassy with tears. Ginny kissed him sweetly, desperately. Harry kissed her back, and a few seconds later, non-verbally stunned her.

Gienah transformed and looked at Harry, his face grim from his deception.

"Bravo." Gienah said quietly.

"Didn't feel like a victory." Harry muttered as he stood up and looked around the clearing. Half of them were stunned and unconscious. The other half bound and gagged.

"It's a lesson Harry." Gienah said quietly. "All's fair in love and war."

Once they had revived and freed everyone they congratulated Harry. Ginny said nothing and trailed behind with her and Deyanira. Harry kept glancing back at her but Ron was talking animatedly about how he'd disarmed Ginny and got the ghoul off their back.

"Are you alright?" Deyanira said quietly to her friend.

Ginny snapped out of her reverie and smiled falsely at Deyanira.

"I can help you with your potions assignment for tomorrow when we get back." Deyanira offered after a silence fell between the three of them.

"I can manage" Ginny said coolly.

"What's the assignment?" Though she knew exactly what Slughorn had set them in the their last lesson. Snape had slipped it into Slughorn's curriculum and when he voiced his confusion on how the potion had got there Snape smoothly assured him it was a standard potion all fifth years were expected to learn.

"It was a class directed potion." Deyanira said, still looking worriedly at Ginny. "It reveals your blood status. Ginny ur, she-"

"I messed it up." Ginny said sourly.

Gienah didn't voice her surprise, it was quite a simple potion that would have taxed first years perhaps.

"Wonderful" Gienah said. "You'll know a little more about your parents. What was your status?"

"Pureblood" Ginny said with a smile. "It'll make it much easier to track my father.

Ginny frowned beside her.

"I didn't think you wanted to track your father?" Ginny said without looking at her. Gienah thought she heard a trace of a threat in her voice but shook her head and assured herself she'd imagined it.

"I did" Deyanira whispered as they approached the castle. "But perhaps he didn't abandon my mother. Maybe he didn't know I existed at all."

Gienah remained quiet after that and another silence fell. If the father was a pureblood it made their task more simple but not at all easy. Before Gienah said goodbye to Ginny and Deyanira she called Deyanira's name.

"There might be a way I could trace your genealogy" Gienah said as she told herself it wasn't a lie. There was a way. Just not this way.

"Really?" Deyanira said hopefully, forgetting to remain quiet as they heard footsteps from below.

Gienah pulled Deyanira behind a suit of armour and said quietly.

"I'll need a few drops of your blood."

Deyanira immediately drew her sleeve. Gienah brought an empty vial from her pocket, Deyanira didn't seem to notice that she had one prepared as Gienah cut her arm with her dagger and allowed a few drops into the vial. Deyanira insisted to allow it to run dry, not wanting to jeapordise her chance at discovering her father.

"Just one more thing." Gienah said. "Did you never find out who your mother was?"

"A Russian historian" Deyanira smiled sadly. "All her family are dead now."

"And your mother died.."

"In childbirth." Deyanira said and Gienah could see she had no idea of the true circumstances of her death. Someone had done a patchy job of the cover up as the true date remained in the both her personal record and the newspaper archives.

Gienah said goodbye to Deyanira and continued up the stairs for a while before turning into a small bird and flying down the stairs. She passed Filch on the way. Mrs. Norris looked at her suspiciously but Filch didn't seem to be paying attention. Gienah knocked urgently on the office, hoping he hadn't yet returned to his rooms.

"Gienah?" Snape said tiredly as he answered the door.

"I have it!" Gienah said with a smile. "Deyenira's blood."

All fatigue seemed to leave her professor as he ushered her in and retrieved the journals. He smeared the blood on each one and they waited.

"Nothing." Gienah said with a groan.

"It.. should've worked." Snape said with a trace of doubt.

"Severus" A woman called from the door that led to his chambers.

"Professor?" Gienah said, her disappointment replaced with a mild amusement.

A woman opened the door in a nightgown with a sleeping baby in her arms. Gienah looked at the baby in surprise and then at the woman holding her.

"Miss. Prendergast?"

The woman paled.

"Amelia." Snape said calmly. "Meet Gienah Black."

"Amelia Bones?!" Gienah cried.

Snape promptly cast a muffliato.

"Gienah" The woman smiled. "I've heard a lot about you."

"I wish I could say the same." Gienah said wryly, looking at the black haired baby.

"I've been meaning to tell you" Snape said quickly, walking over to Amelia and taking the baby into her arms.

"Perhaps you'd like to join us for a cup of tea while Severus explains." Amelia said kindly.

Amelia opened the door and held it for her. Gienah stood for a few seconds before going through the door, up the stone steps and through another door. It was the same setup as her chambers though much larger and it looked more lived in. Books lined on shelves in every wall. A large glass cabinet stood by the door filled with vials of potions and boxes and jars and cauldrons.

"Please, take a seat." Amelia said as she hurried into the kitchen.

"You were the correspondent." Gienah said as Snape took a seat on the sofa.

"Indeed." He said simply.

"You have a baby."

"I- I do" Snape said, a flicker of emotion in his eyes. "Her name is Guinevere. She was born on the seventh of May. No one knows about her existence but Dumbledore."

Gienah stood up and the anger fell from her face as she reached out her arms. Snape looked hopefully at her as he passed the newborn baby gently to her.

"She's beautiful" Gienah murmured.

"I have been meaning to ask-." Snape coughed and looked at Amelia before returning his gaze to hers. "Will you be Guinevere's godmother?"

"Me?" Gienah said quietly. A rush of warmth spread around her.

"Yes, you." Snape said with an edge of impatience.

"Why?"

"You are more than a student Gienah." Snape confessed, looking away from her. "I refused to allow anyone into my heart after.. after Lily. I convinced myself after she.. died."

Snape breathed deeply and Amelia took his pale long fingered hand into hers.

"You saw past the walls I've built since I was a child." Snape said softly. "It was a small gesture that night when we retrieved the stone, you touched my arm."

Snape looked at her and choked out "You called me.. brave. A word I never associated with my actions. I felt anything but brave. It was a coward's way out. I allowed myself to become your mentor and you Gienah, you have such an aura about you I don't think you will ever realize the effect you have on people who have lacked love in their life. Remus lived with self-pity before you, Harry believed he was alone, Sirius betrayed, and now Draco. A boy who has had to grow up in his father's shadow. And me. Distrusted by both sides. You believed without a single doubt."

"When I heard of the plans to eliminate Amelia. She was far too outspoken, unable to be bribed or controlled. She threw off the imperius curse once the master left her side. It was hopeless and they sought to kill her. Quickly and efficiently. I had to save her - I couldn't allow a murder that could be prevented. Not this time."

"He brought me to Hogwarts." Amelia said, looking at Snape with so much love Gienah felt she was intruding. "I was to be Madame Pomfrey's assistant. I wasn't comfortable with a new appearance, so Severus brewed the potion of youth and I took to my new name. Damaris Prendergast. I fell hopelessly and completely in love with him."

"I will." Gienah said, breaking the silence that fell around them. "I will be your daughter's godmother.. Severus."

Snape stood up and seemed to be at a loss on what to do with himself. Gienah took his elegant hand into hers and pressed her mouth against the back of her hand.

"Thank you" Gienah cried softly. "For the honour of being your student. I could not have wished for a better master."

Gienah sat by the window seat the following evening watching the rain fall against the glass and the dark clouds hang over the forest. Her textbook had fallen from her hands as she hugged her knees and recalled the night before. The way Snape and Amelia had looked at each other. The love they shared was deeper than any she could recall. Lupin and Bellatrix shared a fondness to be sure. Bellatrix would kill for her husband and Lupin would die for the mother of his children, but from both was a jaded love after years of loneliness, a desperation that wasn't completely pure. A needy kind of love. Alyssandra and Sirius lived a honeymoon romance. Sirius was incredibly handsome and Alyssandra a beauty, their egoes were satisfied in each others company. And then there was her and Cedric… Her first love. Premature and catalyzed by an unplanned pregnancy and cruelly taken from her in cold blood. And Zabini whose love she had not yet returned. Gienah placed her hand against the cool glass and traced a drop with her fingertip as she shed a tear. Gienah felt a stifling loneliness.

"Harry."

The silence that had settled in the common room was disturbed. Hermione closed her book. Ron sat up and Harry turned to see Jimmy Peakes, who was holding out a scroll of parchment.

'Thanks, Jimmy ... hey, it's from Dumbledore!' said Harry excitedly, unrolling the parchment and scanning it. 'He wants me to go to his office as quick as I can!'

Gienah stood up and hugged herself as she watched Harry run out of the portrait hole the parchment left on the coffee table. Hermione read the letter, and Ron put his face in his hands.

"It's beginning." Gienah said, looking out of the window and saw two layers of dark clouds moving in opposite directions. "The calm before the storm."

Harry returned minutes later though it felt like seconds.

'What does Dumbledore want?' Hermione said at once.

'Harry, are you OK?' she added anxiously.

'I'm fine,' said Harry shortly, racing past them.

'I haven't got much time,' Harry panted, 'Dumbledore thinks I'm getting my Invisibility Cloak. Listen ...'

Quickly Harry told them where he was going, and why. He did not pause either for Hermione's gasps of horror or for Ron's hasty questions; they could work out the finer details for themselves later.

'... so you see what this means?' Harry finished at a gallop. 'Dumbledore won't be here tonight, so Malfoy's going to have another clear shot at whatever he's up to. No, listen to me!" he hissed angrily, as both Ron and Hermione showed every sign of interrupting. 'I know it was Malfoy in the Room of Requirement."

Gienah closed her eyes.

"You've got to watch him and you've got to watch Snape, too. Gienah, organize the DA. Hermione, those contact Galleons will still work, right? Dumbledore says he's put extra protection in the school, but if Snape's involved, he'll know what Dumbledore's protection is, and how to avoid it - but he won't be expecting you lot to be on the watch, will he?'

Gienah felt a wave of sorrow.

'Harry -' began Hermione, her eyes huge with fear.

'Haven't got time to argue,' said Harry curtly. Take this as well -' He thrust the socks into Ron's hands.

'Thanks,' said Ron. 'Er - why do I need socks?'

'You need what's wrapped in them, it's the Felix Felicis. Share it between yourselves and Ginny too. Say goodbye to her from me. I'd better go, Dumbledore's waiting -'

'No!' said Hermione, as Ron unwrapped the tiny little bottle of golden potion, looking awestruck. 'We don't want it, you take it, who knows what you're going to be facing?'

'I'Il be fine, I'll be with Dumbledore,' said Harry. 'I want to know you lot are OK ... don't look like that, Hermione, I'll see you later'

And then he was gone.

"Gienah", Hermione said anxiously.

Gienah hadn't realized she was crying.

"Gen" Ron said weakly. "We need you."

Gienah wiped her tears.

"Summon everyone here." Gienah said, surprised to hear the control in her voice. "We may have an hour to prepare."

Gienah ran to her chambers and saw Zabini writing an essay with Sirius fast aleep in his arms.

"Gienah?" Zabini stood up when she ran into the bedroom. "What's happened?"

Gienah changed out of her slacks and pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a black jumper. She summoned her belt with the dagger sheath clipped onto it and looked at the mirror to pull her hair back into a braid.

"Gienah!" Zabini shouted, waking Eridanus in his cot.

Gienah breathed as she finished her hair and strapped on her wand holster to her arm.

"Blaise, you must stay here with the boys." Gienah said finally, looking into his stricken eyes.

"Where are you going?" He said at once. "I can't just.. stay here Gienah! You're going to face whatever's happening, whatever you've been preparing the DA for - Aren't you? You think I don't realize that you've been planning. That you and Professor Snape are in.. cahoots. That you and your family are elbows deep in this war? That it won't ever end until that psychopath is truly dead and gone."

Blaise laughed.

"Remus going away on his expeditions for months on end. Sirius, Alyssandra, Tonks back at the ministry last summer. The dementors at Christmas. WHY won't you speak to me?! Why can't you confide to your boyfriend? Why am I being kept in the dark. What am I? The sperm donor? The full-time nanny?"

"Blaise." Gienah said, crying openly now and shaking her head furiously. "No, no- No of course not."

"I may as well be!" Blaise roared. "Do you feel _anything_ for me - Gienah? Or are you stuck with me because I'm the father of your children?"

Blaise was crying. Gienah was in shock. He never cried. Looking at all of him Gienah felt deeply disturbed watching a six foot two fully grown man crying in front of her, looking completely vulnerable.

"I care for you very much." Gienah said in a small voice.

Blaise snorted.

"I'm touched that you.. _care_ for me." Blaise said bitterly. "Get out. Go and risk your life. I'll be here with our children."

"Blaise, I can't lie to you." Gienah pleaded. "I won't throw the word love around like it doesn't mean anything."

"Yes." Blaise said quietly, walking towards her and tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "That is all well and good.. except I do love you. I hate that you don't but I still hope. Because I'm a fool."

"You are my fool." Gienah said taking a step forward.

Cupping his cheek Gienah felt the stubble on his jaw and could see every tear stain on his face, his beautiful mouth, his slanting eyes, the curl that fell routinely above his left eye, his lashes dark and wet, the dark pupils of his eyes which she could never distinguish with his irises and so they looked permanently dilated. She looked up at all of him. The olive colour of his skin. She breathed him in, resting her head on his chest.

"I would die for you as the father of my children." Gienah murmured. "Isn't that enough?"

"Not forever." Zabini brought his hand to her chin and tilted her head up and hesitantly kissed her with an insecurity she couldn't remember.

A minute passed before she withdrew.

"Stay here love." Gienah said. "I will be back."

Gienah sent a patronus to Tonks as she hurried back to the common room. Filch found her on the seventh corridor and grinned at her.

"Where do ya' think yer going?" Filch sneered.

Gienah ran past him.

"Oy! I got your number Black!" Filch hobbled after her and finally gave up wheezing. "Exactly like her stinkin' father."

When she returned she saw the common room filled with the DA and a few Gryffindors wondering who'd called the impromptu party as they stared wearily at an uncomfortable looking Elliott Quinton.

"There will be death eaters in the castle tonight. I call upon you to fight." Gienah began after a deep breath. "KIl if you have to. The time for disarming is in the past. Stun, maim and injure. Do not hold back because they sure as hell won't be. They'll be out for blood."

Gienah stopped to look at the determined faces before her gripping onto their wands.

"For Dumbledore!" Gienah roared.

"For Dumbledore!" They all repeated, raising their wands in the air in solidarity. Neville's voice carried above them all.

Gienah stationed Ron, Seamus and Neville in the entrance hall. Deyanira, Ginny and herself by the Room of Requirement, Hermione and Luna outside Snape's office and everyone else dispersed around each staircase.

"Lyra, you are to stay here" Gienah said firmly as everyone began to move.

"No!" Lyra said angrily. "I can fight as well as Neville."

"You're twelve." Gienah said simply. "Your mother would have my guts for garters."

"You know I can be useful" Lyra hissed. "You fought Voldemort my age, what makes this any different?"

"I don't have time for this" Gienah groaned.

"I'll keep an eye on her." Katie said with a shrug. "She'll probably creep out to join the fight anyway, safer we know where she is."

Lyra beamed at Katie.

"Fine." Gienah growled.

"My boyfriend is going to love this." Gienah muttered to herself.

Gienah saw everyone out before she went to join Deyanira who was waiting for her on the staircase.

"Where's Ginny?"

"She probably went to the Room already." Deyanira shrugged.

Gienah brought out her map to locate Ginny when she came across something very wrong, and very very familiar. Ginny Weasley was standing right next to her and.. Deyanira was on the sixth floor except…

"I'll meet you there." Gienah said quietly before running down to the dungeons. Gienah saw Hermione and Luna and told them she had an urgent assignment to discuss.

"An assignment?!" Hermione's voice shrilled but Gienah closed the door in her face and locked it.

"Professor" Gienah said panting, her heart thumping against her chest, her palms sweaty and her breath fast and shallow.

"What's happened?" Snape said urgently. He'd stood up as soon as she entered.

"I know who Deyanira's father is" Gienah said weakly. "It's Voldemort."

"I beg your pardon" Snape said, blinking at her.

Gienah shoved the map into his arms, pointing a shaking finger to the sixth floor.

"And it isn't Deyanira Rookwood." Gienah almost laughed. "It's Ginny Weasley."

"How on earth-" Snape muttered looking closely at the map.

"The map never lies" Gienah said, her voice shaking. "It showed Peter Pettigrew as a rat, it revealed Barty Crouch under the polyjuice potion and it's telling us the truth right now. Deyanira was standing right next to me when I saw the name. I think I must have found out earlier, this feels too familiar, there's a gap in my memory from the night Dumbledore escaped Fudge in his office sir. She oblivated Harry and Deyanira after the ministry and I suspect she was not as innocent as she made out when Riddle supposedly possessed her through the diary."

Gienah took a deep breath.

"It all makes sense professor." Gienah continued when he didn't respond but continued to stare at her in disbelief, or shock, or fear. "Ginny Weasley's identity was stolen in her first year, it's why the reports recorded the change, why the potion revealed to Deyanira a pureblood and why the journals won't accept her blood. Politskovskaya tried to kill her because there was something wrong with the child. Why did we accept that a child could wandlessly murder her mother in self-defence? She was able to obliviate Ginny's entire life at the age of twelve. She is far from ordinary and she is very, very dangerous."

"But the potion didn't force her to change.." Snape muttered. "She must have obliterated her identity.."

"What do we do professor?" Gienah said in a panic, wringing her hands. "We can't simply - swap them back!"

"No we can't." Snape agreed.

"And her allegiance is all over the place!" Gienah continued. "She's in love with her father's nemesis yet she fought on the death eaters side in the ministry last summer."

"Love is a very powerful thing." Snape sighed. "Now are you going to tell me why you are dressed to go to battle and why there are two members of the DA outside my office?"

"Oh" Gienah said, putting her hands to her forehead. "Right. On top of this mess, Harry says Trelawney heard Malfoy _whooping_ in the Room of Requirement. He's gone off with Dumbledore to get the third horcrux and he believes the death eaters will have found a way to come into Hogwarts. I've sent a patronus to Tonks and stationed the DA around the castle."

"When did you find this piece of information?" Snape asked her.

"Urm, thirty minutes ago" Gienah said.

"And you didn't think to inform a single professor?" Snape said incredulously. "For an intelligent witch you can be extremely dimwitted."

"Anything else?" Gienah said folding her arms.

"I suppose it's started." Snape said darkly. "Go back to your station."

Gienah nodded.

"Good luck."

Gienah ran back upstairs ignoring Hermione's calls behind her. If Snape was to succeed as a double spy, they needed to continue treating him with suspicion. His life depended on it.

Gienah ran to the sixth floor and saw that everything remained still. Gienah couldn't help but cool when she saw Ginny. Or Riddle as she would now call her.

"Where have you been?" Riddle said, her arms folded.

"Bathroom." Gienah said quickly.

They waited for what seemed hours when a door materialized in the middle of the corridor. Gienah pressed her finger on her mouth and pulled the two girls back. Gienah saw Malfoy walk out hesitantly, clutching a shriveled arm she'd seen in Borgin and Burkes. His Hand of Glory.. gives light only to the holder. Gienah swore under her breath and he turned.

"Gienah" Malfoy hissed. "Get out of here."

Gienah folded her arms.

"They're out to kill you." Malfoy pleaded. "You can't be here."

The door opened and Malfoy swore as he threw something in the air. As soon as it went pitch black Gienah grabbed Deyanira and, reluctantly, Riddle's hand. Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder… She'll be having a word with them about who they let buy their products.

"Can't see a bloody thing" A man grumbled.

"That was part of the plan you idiot." Another hissed. "Hold on to my hand."

"I beg your pardon" he sniffed. "I always knew you were a poofter."

"Lumos." She heard Riddle mutter. "Incendio. Ardera! Motherf-"

"Someone's there!" A woman shrieked. "Draco, Draco who is it? It might be that girl."

"Never mind that now." A man growled. "We'll miss the old fool."

Gienah did what she did next out of desperation. The thought of Dumbledore gone was unimaginable.

"Expecto patronum!" Gienah cried.

An eagle was a lone figure of light in the pitch black. It was a beautiful sight to withhold.

"Her patronus is an eagle" A woman said hungrily. "Draco, if we capture her as well as the headmaster we'd be rewarded beyond measure."

"We've spent enough time dawdling." Malfoy drawled.

Gienah closed her eyes and felt a coldness grip at her heart. Malfoy stiffened as he saw her. Gienah didn't need sight. She knew exactly where he stood and what more she knew exactly how he felt.

"RUN!" Draco said, conjuring a weak patronus.

"What the fuck is a dementor doing in Hogwarts!"

"What are death eaters doing in Hogwarts?" Gienah said dryly, feeling her mouth salivate at the feast before her. There was so much emotion. Hearts pumping, adrenaline pumped the air, the fear was palpable.

The eagle however seemed to sate her hunger.

The death eaters ran following Dumbledore in a odd conga line up. They stumbled and fell and swore and cried. Gienah felt Riddle and Deyanira stiffen by the wall. Riddle was not fearful, she could feel determination and something odd. A strange aura emitted from her and Gienah felt a little revolted, her soul was completely inedible. Gienah turned from the intriguing display of emotions Riddle was a bundle of and glided after Malfoy. At the end of the corridor the light returned and half a dozen patronuses came charging at her. They left a cold feeling in her very bones but they did not cause her pain.

"What the hell is it?" A large man said nervously, remaining behind with a light haired woman. The Carrow's.

They turned to run and Gienah transformed into a bird. They were heading to the Astronomy Tower. Gienah cursed under her breath. She had not expected that. She hoped Riddle and Deyanira would follow soon and spread the word. Gienah changed back to her natural form and caught one of the Carrow's with a tripping jinx. His sister turned and snarled at her.

"It's her!" She shrieked.

Gienah silenced her, dodged a crucio, slashing her wand back and forth when her brother joined the duel. They were fierce and incredibly experienced. As a practiced dueller she was able to recognize skill. Gienah was disarmed.

"Ha!" Screamed the woman, sending a binding her spell her way which Gienah dodged before sending a dagger towards her. It hit her shoulder and returned to her. She threw it again at her brother, deep into his ankle. He howled in pain. Gienah wandlessly summoned her wand, loose in the Carrow's hand and bound the two of them before stuning them. Let them bleed she thought as she left to catch up with the rest.

Gienah sent the same patronus to Deyanira and Tonks as she darted off to the Astronomy Tower. She saw Malfoy dart up the stairs and the remaining Death Eaters look around boredly.

Gienah cast a disillusionment charm on herself as she edged closer. Gienah tiptoed past them and attempted to dart up the stairs but there was a barrier. Gienah was thrown eight feet into the air. Gienah transformed before she fell to the floor. She tried flying into it, gave them a scare when she turned into a dementor to get through but nothing. Gienah paced back and forth. Was Harry and Dumbledore out there? Gienah forced herself to breathe. Snape had said he would take responsibility and she had already informed him - it'd be fine. He was probably up there planning a way to .. she had no idea. And then she remembered something she hadn't registered the first time she heard it. Snape, months ago, at the Christmas party.. he had told Malfoy he'd made the unbreakable vow… She assumed to protect him, but to protect him.. Dumbledore had to die. Either he had to die or Malfoy needed to do something no death eater had managed to do and survive. Defect.

"You reckon he'll do it?" A large death eater said, picking at his teeth with his nail.

"He's got no choice" said another coldly.

"What I want to know-" Gienah felt her heart sink. "-is why we're waiting out here like bloody guard dogs."

Fenrir Greyback punched his fist into his hand.

"The operation can't be compromised", the cold grey haired man said again. "Killing Dumbledore is our sole aim tonight. Anyone gets in the way we kill them. Otherwise, kill the muggle loving fool and get out of there."

"Where are the Carrow's gone?" Another man asked, looking around.

"You reckon it's true." Rowle said with a snigger.

"What?" Said the man that asked, a muscular man with an ungly face that looked like it'd been sqaushed.

"What they say about the Carrow's" Rowle said smirking. "How.. close they are."

"You're sick" The man spat with disgust.

"You can't call me sick." Rowle said. "Not with Greyback here."

"What was that?" Greyback snarled.

"Kiddy fiddler extraordinaire here." Rowle barked with laughter.

Gienah could have sent her dagger straight through both their necks at that second. Or a clean relashio across their necks and make them permanent members of the Headless Hunt. She could have maybe killed them all that second and depleted Voldemort's followers by a quarter by bringing the entire ceiling down as she transformed into a bird and flew away before the contact with the floor and the ground.

But the moment passed and she could hear Sirius cursing in her ear, Zabini and Lupin telling her how she'd get herself killed, that death eaters weren't permitted membership because they were only competent duellers. They had to be the best of the best. They had to be blood thirsty.

Just then she heard people running towards the tower. Gienah straightened up and smiled. They weren't the only ones that were blood thirsty. Gienah turned and saw Deyanira, Tonks, Hestia Jones, Katie and Lyra running towards the tower. Gienah's smile was wiped off her face when she saw Lyra. She couldn't do anything about it now. THe quicker they were captured the sooner she'd be out of danger. The death eaters turned to see the all female attack. The muscular man snickered as we wielded his wand like a sword but it was Gienah who made the first move, sending a poised dagger spinning into the air and hitting Rowle's jaw. Gienah swore. First time she'd missed. The dagger returned to her and all hell broke loose.

Greyback roared and ran forward, abandoning all magic. One death eater sent a killing curse at Tonks, Gienah roared as she threw her dagger between the death eater and tonks, the killing curse was swallowed by her dagger which miraculously didn't turn to dust. Gienah thought she may have to visit the Black vault and see what other goodies they had. The dagger continued to fly through the air and turned when it saw it had no target and came back to her.

Gienah dropped her disillusionment charm in case one of their side threw a curse at her and began duelling the grey haired man. Gienah was relieved she'd practiced duelling Remus, Sirius and Snape because this man was on par with Snape himself. Gienah fell into a natural rhythm, stepping side to side, ducking, jumping, throwing her knife when she was forced to throw up a shield so she remained constantly on the aggressive. Gienah was getting bored of fighting him for so long so she decided to finish with a gemini. The seven Gienah's smirked at him as three ran forward to attack and three stood to watch the last turn into a great eagle mid pounce and fall from the ceiling back into a witch with her wand before her, binding him and forcing him on to the knees before she fell on top of him. Gienah was tempted to sink her dagger through his brain but stunned him instead. There was a thin line between self-defence and murder.

Gienah pushed him onto the side and turned to see the muscular death eater get shot by a killing curse that Tonks had missed by the skin of her teeth. Gienah pulled him to the side and saw Yaxley make a run for it up the tower. Greyback followed but was pushed back.. Of course. You needed a dark mark to enter and he'd not received the honour. Gienah watched Greyback dodge the curses his way run towards the staircase and jump down seven stairs. He was mad. But she watched him land on his feet.

"You all wait here." Gienah said looking around at them all, no one seemed gravely injured. "I'm going to find Greyback.. I owe him one.."

"Gienah" Tonks cried as she ran down the stairs. She ignored him and when she was out of sight she jumped down , sprouting wings just before she met her death and saw Greyback mauling Bill Weasley. His wand was a few feet away from him. Greyback was pushing his head back to reveal his neck, baring his filthy pointed teeth prepared to plunge them into his bare skin when Gienah, Seamus and Ron all sent a stunning spell at Greyback. Gienah tied him up at once, the rope glowing a light blue, having only heard the stories of his inhuman strength. Lupin was stronger than most. The werewolf man was a fine specimen.

"Where's Ginny?" Gienah asked.

"She's meant to be with you!" Ron said in a panic.

"She.."

At that moment Gienah was struck by a curse on her back. Gienah felt her skin melt and cried in anguish.

"Lookie here." Amycus Carrow sang. "It's Gienah Black."

"The dark lord will be most happy to have you." Alecto Carrow murmured.

"Stupefy!" Seamus yelled.

The spell was repelled. Gienah was tempted to transform but it would be too obvious… Gienah slowly reached for her wand.

"Expelliarmus" Amycus Carrow laughed. "And your pretty dagger too."

"Accio" Alecto said.

Gienah keeled with pain and attempted to wandlessly heal her back. WIthout seeing the damage it was fruitless. And Bill was laying there, twitching. Where was everyone…

"Stupefy!"

"Neville!" Ron cried, he had been bound in ropes along with Seamus. Incredibly he hit his mark and Alecto fell to the floor. Gienah summoned his wand with a last effort and broke Seamus and Ron's bonds before collapsing completely on the floor face forward. She felt her nose break against the marble floor from the impact.

"Gienah" Ron cried, walking forward but Gienah heard the hurried footsteps before Ron.

'It's over,' Gienah heard her mentor cry. 'He'd done what he'd meant to do.'

Gienah suddenly was unable to feel the pain. He couldn't mean Dumbledore. Snape would never - never allow Dumbledore to die. He'd put his life before his.. Wouldn't he?

"It's over, time to go!"

Gienah put her hands on the floor and with difficulty pushed herself up. She fixed her wand and managed to clean the wound on her back and covered her entire torso with bandages. It was the best she could do. Gineah got to her feet, panting heavily as she turned to see Malfoy and Snape running down the stairs. Carrow revived her brother sneered at Gienah before running towards the doors. Snape revived Greyback and once again shouted "It's over!"

Gienah caught his eye as he past her. He grabbed her and shoved her up against the wall.

"Take care of her" He whispered. "Greyback!"

The werewolf Gienah saw had thrown himself on - on Harry! Harry fell backward,

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Fenrir collapsed against him. He pushed the werewolf off and onto the floor as a jet of green light came flying toward him; he ducked and ran, headfirst, into the fight.

Gienah ran after the Carrows and hit Amycus with a stinging hex.

Alecto turned and growled. Amycus was giggling, enjoying the sport: "Crucio - Crucio - you can't dance forever, pretty-"

"Impedimenta!" yelled Harry.

His jinx hit Amycus in the chest: He gave a piglike squeal of pain, was lifted off his feet and slammed into the opposite wall, slid down it, and fell out of sight

"Take that!" shouted Professor McGonagall, and Gienah glimpsed the female Death Eater, Alecto, sprinting away down the corridor with her arms over her head, her brother right behind her.

Gienah saw the entire throng upstairs had joined them downstairs along with a few professors.

Gienah felt a sting on her side turned and aimed a hex at the enormous blond Death Eater who was causing most of the chaos. The man gave a howl of pain as the spell hit him in the face: He wheeled around, staggered, and then pounded away after the brother and sister.

Gienah saw that they'd all been revived. Yaxley and Rowle were looking at her with a vengeance. But then she saw a number of bewildered and pajama-clad Hufflepuffs besides them and began slashing her wand back and forth between the two hexes. They forced her into a defensive stance.

Gienah threw a reducto, it missed and blew the staircase apart, a few of the Hufflepuff's screamed. Gienah stepped back and hit a cabinet, she turned to see the hourglasses and edged to the side willing them away from the students. It worked like a charm.

"Get that little bitch!" Rowle yelled.

Yaxley threw a curse at Gienah, she ducked, it hit the giant Gryffindor hourglass, and the rubies within began to fall with a loud rattle, onto the flagstones below.

"Go!" A death eater cried. "Leave! Yaxley, Rowle! Get the girl another day."

Gienah watched them run out of the front entrance the doors fell on the floor in front. Gienah walked across the door and out into the dark grounds: She could just make out the three figures racing across the lawn, heading for the gates beyond which they could disapparate.

The cold night air ripped at her lungs as she tore after them; she saw a flash of light in the distance that momentarily made her stop.

Another flash, shouts, retaliatory jets of light, and Gienah saw Hagrid. He had emerged from his cabin and was trying to stop the Death Eaters escaping, and though every breath seemed to shred her lungs and the stitch in her chest was like fire, Gienah ran over to Hagrid, throwing hexes at the

female death eater, Yaxley and Rowle.

Gienah saw the vast outline of Hagrid, illuminated by the light of the crescent moon revealed suddenly behind clouds; Rowle was aiming curse after curse at the gamekeeper; but Hagrids immense strength and the toughened skin he had inherited from his giantess mother seemed to be protecting him.

Gienah yelled, "Stupefy!"

She missed.

"Incendio!" Gienah heard an explosive bang and a dancing orange light spilled over all of them: Hagrid's house was on fire.

"Fang's in there, yer evil - !" Hagrid bellowed.

Gienah aimed for Rowle again, before extinguishing the flames with a freeze charm.

Gienah then saw beyond the three death eaters Harry chasing a slight blonde haired boy and a billowing cloaked figure… Gienah transformed and flew towards them and attempted to claw at Harry but he dodged her. Gienah turned back.

"Harry, turn back.." Gienah panted, clutching her chest. Her back was paining her.

"Coward, did you call me, Potter?" shouted Snape. "Your father would never attack me unless it was four on one, what would you call him, I wonder?"

"Stupe-"

"Blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!" sneered Snape, deflecting the curse once more. "Now come!" he shouted at the huge Death Eater behind Harry. "It is time to be gone, before the Ministry turns up -"

"Impedi -"

Then Harry keeled over screeching in pain. Gienah turned to see who it was. Gienah cried with fury. Rowle was going to die.

"No!" roared Snape, "Have you forgotten our orders? Potter belongs to the Dark Lord - we are to leave him! Go! Go!"

Gienah ran to Harry in the darkness but he had pushed himself to his feet again, he staggered blindly toward Snape -

"Sectum - "

Snape flicked his wand and the curse was repelled.

"No, Potter!" screamed Snape. There was a loud BANG and Harry was soaring backward, hitting the ground hard again. Snape closed in and looked down on him where he lay, wandless and defenseless. Gienah whimpered. Snape's pale face, illuminated by the flaming cabin, was suffused with hatred.

"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them - I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, would you? I don't think so . . . no"

Harry had dived for his wand; Snape shot a hex at it and it flew feet away into the darkness and out of sight.

"Kill me then," panted Harry, who felt no fear at all, but only rage and contempt. "Kill me like you killed him, you coward -"

"No, Harry" Gienah said, she was on her knees, feeling close to unconsciousness. "Professor would never-"

"DON'T -" screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them - "CALL ME COWARD!"

And he slashed at the air: Harry was slammed backward into the ground. Gienah heard a rush of wings above him and something enormous obscured the stars. Buckbeak had flown at Snape, who staggered backward as the razor-sharp claws slashed at him.

"NO!" Gienah cried with the last of her strength. "BUCKBEAK!"

Incredibly he obeyed her and came towards her, ruffling his feathers against her face.

"Hagrid," Gienah heard Harry heard mutter. "HAGRID?"

Harry stumbled toward the frozen house as an enormous figure emerged carrying Fang on his back. With a cry of thankfulness, Harry sank to his knees.

"Yeh all righ', Harry? Yeh all righ'? Speak ter me, Harry. . .."

"I'm all right," panted Harry. "Gienah.. Gienah."

"Harry, thank god you're - alright." Gienah breathed sharply. "Did you find it?"

"I was bindin' up a couple o' bowtruckle legs when I heard 'em coming," said Hagrid sadly, still staring at his wrecked cabin. "They'll bin burnt ter twigs, poor little things. . . ."

"Gienah . . ."

"The horcrux Harry" Gienah said again, grimacing as she crawled towards him.

"But what happened, Harry? I jus' saw them Death Eaters run-nin down from the castle, but what the ruddy hell was Snape doin' with 'em? Where's he gone - was he chasin' them?"

"He . . ." Harry cleared his throat. "Hagrid, he killed . . ."

"No" Gienah said, shaking her head.

"Killed?" said Hagrid loudly, staring down at Harry. "Snape killed? What're yeh on abou', Harry?"

"Dumbledore," said Harry. "Snape killed .. . Dumbledore."

"NOOO!" Gienah cried. "He would.. NEVER"

Hagrid simply looked at Harry, the little of his face that could be seen completely blank, uncomprehending.

"Dumbledore wha, Harry?"

"He's dead Gienah. Your precious mentor killed him..."

Gienah screamed.

"Don' say that," said Hagrid roughly, kneeling down to Gienah with concern. "Snape kill Dumbledore - don' be stupid, Harry. Wha's made yeh say tha'?"

"I saw it happen."

"Yeh couldn' have."

"I saw it, Hagrid."

Gienah's voice was gone.

"What musta happened was, Dumbledore musta told Snape ter go with them Death Eaters," Hagrid said confidently, pulling Gienah into his arms. "I suppose he's gotta keep his cover. Look, let's get yeh back up ter the school. Come on, Harry. ..."

The oak front doors stood open ahead of them, light flooding out onto the drive and the lawn. Slowly, uncertainly, dressing-gowned people were creeping down the steps, looking around nervously for some sign of the Death Eaters who had fled into the night.

Harry looked towards the foot of the Astronomy Tower. People were beginning to move toward it.

"What're they all lookin' at?" said Hagrid, as he and Harry approached the castle front, Fang keeping as close as he could to their ankles. "Wha's that lyin' on the grass?" Hagrid added sharply, heading now toward the foot of the Astronomy Tower, where a small crowd was congregating.

"See it, Harry? Right at the foot of the tower? Under where the Mark . . . Blimey . . . yeh don' think someone got thrown - ?"

Hagrid fell silent, the thought apparently too horrible to express aloud.

Hagrid and Harry moved, dreamlike, through the murmuring crowd to the very front, where the dumbstruck students and teachers had left a gap. Gienah was crying, but she remained still.

Gienah heard Hagrid's moan of pain and shock as if it came from miles away. Hagrid dropped Gienah on the floor. The fresh wave of agony and pain pulled her out of shock.

Gienah felt Hagrid kneel beside her and release a howl. Gienah pulled herself off the floor and crawled forward and her breath caught in her throat.

The greatest wizard of their time lay here, spread-eagled, broken: the greatest wizard Gienah had ever, or would ever, meet.

Dumbledore's eyes were closed; but for the strange angle of his arms and legs, he might have been sleeping. Gienah watched Harry reach out and straighten the half-moon spectacles upon the crooked nose, and wiped a trickle of blood from the mouth with his own sleeve.

The crowd murmured behind them.

"Come here, Harry ..."

"No."

"Fuck" Someone swore. "Someone get Black the hell out of here."

"She's bleeding… her back."

"Yeh can't syay here"

"No"

"Be careful."

"Just get her to the fuckin' hospital."

Gienah felt someone lift her off the ground.

"Did someone say... " Someone laughed from a distance. "Dumbledore dead?"

"I saw him Kev.."

"The werewolf.."

"How did they get in here?"

"-came running down the stairs, then the entire thing blew up!"

"It can't be."

"What the hell is going on- why is there- is that blood-"

"Gienah? GIENAH!"

"Lyra- stop, you're ankle-"

"Is she breathing?"

"Zabini... what happened?"

"But surely, it wasn't the full moon-"

They must had reached the hospital wing.

"My goodness."

She was gently lain down on the bed. Gienah cried with agony.

"Gienah-"

"She's breathing Blaise." Someone said softly. "She'll be fine."

"I let her go." Blaise sounded as if he was crying. Gienah wanted to open her eyes, hold his hand. But she was burning. "She could have died-"

"She isn't dead-"

Gienah heard the curtains drawn and her clothes vanished.

"Miss. Prendergast" Madame Pomfrey called briskly. "Burns paste, skele-gro and the Ezakial leaves, oh and a pains potion."

Gienah was turned to her front and she felt her back cool. Gienah sighed, feeling the trickle of healing charms flood her body. A paste was administered by soft hands and then bandages by magic. She was turned to her back and she felt her nose flood with a sweet smoke and then a wet sludgy ointment dabbed on several parts of her body. Then there was a complete removal of pain from her back.

"Open your mouth dear."

Gienah did so and felt the vile taste of skele-gro enter her mouth. It was a small dose, followed by a pain potion.

"Are you good to get some sleep-"

"No." Gienah said weakly, attempting to open her eyes.

She felt herself clothed in a scratchy cotton.

"I need to see-" Gienah struggled to speak. She felt a glass of water against her lips and her head tilted forward. She drank thirstily. "Everyone okay."

"Absolutely not. A dreamless potion-"

"No!" Gienah choked out. "I can't-"

"Poppy, she'll be fine, let her be reassured-"

"Fine" Madame Pomfrey said testily.

She heard the curtains being drawn. Gienah forced her eyes open and squinted at the light.

"Gienah.." Zabini was looking at her, his eyes red and his hair dishevelled and he still looked handsome.

Gienah attempted to sit up. Zabini helped her up and adjusted her pillows. Gienah held out her hand to his jaw and stroked it. Her grief seemed to ebb away somewhat. He was here. He loved her.

Zabini kissed her hand, and choked on his breath, wiping his eyes.

Gienah looked around. Neville was lying, apparently asleep, in a bed near the door. Ron, Hermione, Luna, Tonks, and Ginny were gathered around another bed near the far end of the ward.

"Gienah" Harry said. Gienah looked to her left and saw Harry there looking stricken.

"Hey little brother." Gienah said weakly, attempting a smile.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine... How's Bill?"

Nobody answered. Gienah attempted to get out of her bed but Zabini pushed her right back down.

Gienah looked over Zabini's shoulder and saw an unrecognizable face lying on Bill's pillow, so badly slashed and ripped that he looked grotesque. Madam Pomfrey was dabbing at his wounds with some harsh-smelling green ointment.

"Greyback" Gienah snarled. Zabini moved back.

"The wounds can't be healed." Harry said.

"Dumbledore might know something that'd work, though," Ron said. "Where is he? Bill fought those maniacs on Dumbledore's orders, Dumbledore owes him, he can't leave him in this state -"

"Ron - Dumbledores dead," said Ginny.

"No!" Tonks looked wildly from Ginny to Harry, as though hoping the latter might contradict her, but when Harry did nor, she collapsed into a chair beside Bill's bed, her hands over her face.

"How did he die?" whispered Hermione. "How did it happen?"

"Snape killed him," said Harry. "I was there, I saw it. We arrived back on the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was. . . . Dumbledore was ill, he was weak, but I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. He immobilized me, I couldn't do anything, I was under the Invisibility Cloak - and then Malfoy came through the door and disarmed him -"

Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth and Ron groaned. Luna's mouth trembled.

"- more Death Eaters arrived - and then Snape - and Snape did it. The Avada Kedavra." Harry couldn't go on.

Madam Pomfrey burst into tears. Nobody paid her any attention except Lyra, who whispered, "Shh! Listen!"

Gulping, Madam Pomfrey pressed her fingers to her mouth, her eyes wide. Somewhere out in the darkness, a phoenix was singing in a way Gienah had never heard before: a stricken lament of terrible beauty. And Gienah felt, as she had felt about phoenix song before, that the music was inside her, not without: It was her own grief turned magically to song that echoed across the grounds and through the castle windows.

Gienah opened her mouth and sang with him. The conscious people turned and watched her as she cried silently and sang the ethereal bird song. They stood there, listening, for an age that couldn't be quantified.

It felt like a long time later that the hospital door opened again and Professor McGonagall entered the ward. Like all the rest, she bore marks of the recent battle: There were grazes on her face and her robes were ripped.

"Molly and Arthur are on their way," she said, and the spell of the music was broken: Everyone roused themselves as though coming out of trances, turning again to look at Bill, or else to rub their own eyes shake their heads.

"Harry, what happened? According to Hagrid you were with Professor Dumbledore when he - when it happened. He says Professor Snape was involved in some -" "Snape killed Dumbledore," said Harry.

She stared at him for a moment, then swayed alarmingly; Madam Pomfrey, who seemed to have pulled herself together, ran forward, conjuring a chair from thin air, which she pushed under McGonagall.

"Snape," repeated McGonagall faintly, falling into the chair. "We all wondered . . . but he trusted . . . always . . . Snape... I can't believe it. ..."

Gienah whimpered. Zabini stroked her hair comfotingly.

"Snape was a highly accomplished Occlumens," said Tonks, her voice uncharacteristically harsh. "We always knew that."

"But Dumbledore swore he was on our side!" whispered Hermione. "I always thought Dumbledore must know something about Snape that we didn't. ..." .

"He always hinted that he had an ironclad reason for trusting Snape," muttered Professor McGonagall, now dabbing at the corners of her leaking eyes with a tartan-edged handkerchief. "I mean . . . with Snapes history ... of course people were bound to wonder. . . but Dumbledore told me explicitly that Snape's repentance was absolutely genuine-Wouldn't hear a word against him!"

"I'd love to know what Snape told him to convince him," said Tonks.

"I know," said Harry, and they all turned to look at him. "Snape passed Voldemort the information that made Voldemort hunt down my mum and dad. Then Snape told Dumbledore he hadn't realized what he was doing, he was really sorry he'd done it, sorry that they were dead."

They all stared at him.

In her head Gienah was screaming HE WAS IN LOVE, COMPLETELY WITH OUR MOTHER.

All of them seemed to be lost in horrified shock, trying to digest the monstrous truth of what had happened. Fawkes's lament was still echoing over the dark grounds outside.

Lyra came shyly towards her and said nothing. She climbed into her bed and held her tight. Gienah felt a rush of affection towards her that wasn't the kind of affection she felt for Harry, Sirius.. or even her children.

The doors of the hospital wing burst open, making them all jump: Sirius, Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were striding up the ward, Fleur just behind them, her beautiful face terrified.

"Molly - Arthur -" said Professor McGonagall, jumping up and hurrying to greet them. "I am so sorry -"

"Bill," whispered Mrs. Weasley, darting past Professor McGonagall as she caught sight of Bill's mangled face. "Oh, Bill!"

"Gienah!" Sirius cried when he saw her. He ran to her and held her against his chest. "Why is it always you?"

"I'm fine." Gienah said waving her hand. "Carrow hit me with some curse but Madame Pomfrey's-"

Gienah suddenly saw her and the quiet grief consuming her.

"Miss. Prendergast" Gienah called.

Amelia came to her.

"Could you help me go to the bathroom?" Gienah said kindly, Lyra got up and went to Zabini took one look at her and hugged her.

Amelia took her hand and helped her climb out of the bed. THey went to the back of the hospital wing and into the bathroom. Once the door was closed, Gienah put her arms around the witch.

"You are allowed to grieve." Gienah remonstrated her lightly.

Amelia sobbed into her shoulder. Gienah conjured two chairs wandlessly and helped her to the chair and collapsed herself on the one opposite her.

"Dumbledore dead" Amelia choked out. "And everyone thinks Severus - killed him-"

"He did kill him." Gienah said sadly.

"He would never-"

"He hasn't betrayed us." Gienah said firmly. "If Severus killed Dumbledore, he had to kill Dumbledore."

"Guinevere.." Amelia said softly.

"I will do everything in my power to save him." Gienah said. "I promise you - that man may as well be my third father."

Amelia wiped her tears and looked at Gienah. Her blue eyes startling.

"He never really spoke about his students - but he'd mention you. In passing. When he would think aloud and I was there reading, and he was marking essays or brewing or writing.." Amelia smiled. "How you managed to defeat three grown men. All in the order. How you looked as bored as him in lessons. And then once - when you were in hospital in Christmas - he broke down. I found him drinking. Severus rarely drinks. Told me how you were more of a student.. you were a companion."

Gienah broke down again, and the two witches comforted each other for a grief no one else felt. The loss of Dumbledore and the most resilient man in their life.

Gienah led her back out where Zabini looked at her with concern, everyone else seemed preoccupied with retelling the events that occurred over the night.

"Is everything ok?" Zabini murmured, when she went round the bed and sank into his embrace.

Gienah nodded and then shook her head.

"How could he die?" Gienah said. "And the professor - he's left me - and he'll die. Eventually - he'll die."

"Gienah, he killed him." Zabini said gently. "Perhaps he deserves death".

Gienah looked at him blankly.

"Never, ever say that again" Gienah said quietly. "That man has gone up and beyond the call of duty for people who continue to doubt him. He is giving his life for the cause. The man is a greater hero than the chosen one because he had a choice."

"You really believe his innocence?"

Gienah laughed darkly.

"Oh no. Professor Snape is no innocent. He isn't loyal to the Order, he was loyal to Dumbledore, and he certainly is not loyal to Voldemort."

"If he's gone, where does his loyalty lie now?"

"With me.." Gienah said. "He pledged his allegiance to me."

"Then I know to trust him." Zabini said simply. "I suppose you won't convince the others of this truth?"

"No.. no" Gienah said sadly. "Snape warned me this time would come."

"Gienah my love." Lupin came over to her. Zabini kissed her, Gienah stood up and he walked over to Hermione.

"But weren't you- somewhere-" Gienah said.

"I was" Lupin smiled. "And now I'm here."

"Ha, ha" Gienah said folding her arms.

"Sirius came to get me himself." Lupin said. "The idiot."

Gienah chuckled and looked at her father speaking with Tonks.

"Dumbledore.. dead." Lupin choked out, and she noticed there were tear stains on his face, and now he cried again. Gienah had never seen him look so broken. "I- I didn't think I'd ever go to Hogwarts, me being what I am.. and he- he came to our home personally."

Lupin laughed as his eyes was lost to the wave of nostalgia.

"Wearing the most awful suit- made of purple velvet... " Lupin chuckled and he cried harder. "And - and he said- how would you like to go to Hogwarts young man? And all I could think was this man must have escaped the circus or an asylum."

Lupin and Gienah were now both laughing and crying.

"Didn't he know that I was a werewolf?" Lupin continued, allowing the tears to fall freely. "He assured me he was the headmaster of the school and he didn't really care that I was a werewolf apart from being prompted to make special provisions one night a month. 'Remus, one night a month really isn't as meddlesome as catching Filch and making the mistake of asking him how his day had been.. Which I really cannot help ask every time I see the poor man.""

Gienah smiled.

"He said no one would have to know but a few select staff and the school nurse had already expressed her sympathies. "Now, the offer is on the table Mr. Lupin. It really is quite in your hands.""

"What did you say?" Gienah whispered, hugging her knees and feeling like they had rewound ten years into the past when Lupin would tell her stories. She could imagine the shadow puppets in her mind. A tall wizard with a long beard and a crooked nose speaking to a small nervous boy fidgeting with withheld excitement.

"I believe I cried." Lupin said with a chuckle. "He said "I do have to confess Remus. Of all my years teaching - and as you can see from the length of my beard that is a lot of years indeed - I've never had such a response. I trust those are tears of gratitude?"" "Yes professor!" I cried. "Do you really mean it?" And he said. "I say what I mean and I mean what I say.""

There was a short pause, where Lupin's smile flickered.

"I don't know what we will do Gienah." Lupin said. "The order was never an open society. We each had our orders given to us by the headmaster and we rarely disagreed. We played our role and trusted others did the same. That it was part of a grand plan he'd cooked up in one of his mad and brilliant ideas."

"I like to think that he continues to pull the strings.. even in his death." Gienah said confidently. "We have to believe that while he may be dead, he will never be gone. He once said to Harry "the ones that love us never truly leave us"."

"And Severus Snape?"

"You should know that while Harry is accused of being Dumbledore's man through and through, I am most certainly Snape's woman through and through." Gienah said fiercely.

"As he is yours." Lupin said quietly.

"You think I am wrong?" Gienah said defensively.

"On the contrary, I hope that you are right." Lupin said calmly. "Gienah you should sleep- I will have to help the professors piece the school back together. I will see you in the morning."

Lupin kissed her forehead and left her to her musings.

Once the adults had left an hour later Harry returned to the hospital wing. Gienah shook Ron awake. He had fallen asleep in the chair beside her waiting for Harry.

"They're talking about closing the school," said Harry.

There was a pause.

"So?" said Ron in a very low voice, as though he thought the furniture might be listening in. "Did you find one? Did you get it? A - a Horcrux?"

Harry shook his head.

"You didn't get it?" said Ron, looking crestfallen. "It wasn't there?"

"No," said Harry. "Someone had already taken it and left a fake in its place."

"Already taken - ?"

"R.A.B.," whispered Ron, "but who was that?"

"R.A.B" Gienah whispered, sitting up, her eyes wide. "Let me see."

 _To the Dark Lord_

 _I now I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can._

 _I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more._

 _R.A.B._

"Addressed to the dark lord Harry. It was a death eater. Regulus Arcturus Black!"

All lessons were suspended, all examinations postponed. Some students were hurried away from Hogwarts by their parents over the next couple of days - the Patil twins were gone before breakfast on the morning following Dumbledore's death and Zacharias Smith was escorted from the castle by his haughty-looking father. Seamus Finnigan, on the other hand, refused point-blank to accompany his mother home; they had a shouting match in the Entrance Hall which was resolved when she agreed that he could remain behind for the funeral. She had difficulty in finding a bed in Hogsmeade, Seamus told Harry and Ron, for wizards and witches were pouring into the village, preparing to pay their last respects to Dumbledore.

'Anyone else we know died?' Ron asked Hermione, who was perusing the Evening Prophet.

Hermione winced at the forced toughness in his voice.

'No,' she said reprovingly, folding up the newspaper. 'They're still looking for Snape, but no sign ...'

'Of course there isn't,' said Harry, who became angry every time this subject cropped up. They won't find Snape till they find Voldemort, and seeing as they've never managed to do that in all this time ...'

Gienah winced. She had done it every time and despite Hermione's pleas Harry continued to rave and rant about Snape.

'I'm going to go to bed,' yawned Ginny.

She kissed Harry (Ron looked away pointedly), waved at the other two and departed for the girls' dormitories. Gienah watched her leave.. completely drawing a blank at how to respond to her these days. The moment the door had closed behind her, Hermione leaned forwards towards Harry with a most Hermione-ish look on her face.

'Harry, I found something out this morning, in the library ..,'

'It's about ... well, Snape.'

She looked nervously at Gienah as she said this.

'What about him?' asked Harry heavily, slumping back in his chair.

'Well, it's just that I was sort of right about the Half-Blood Prince business,' she said tentatively.

'D'you have to rub it in, Hermione? How do you think I feel about that now?'

'No - no - Harry, I didn't mean that!' she said hastily, looking around to check that they were not being overheard. 'It's just that I was right about Eileen Prince once owning the book. You see ... she was Snape's mother!'

'I thought she wasn't much of a looker,' said Ron. Hermione ignored him. Gienah gritted her teeth. She would have to be desensitized to this but to have one of the bravest men she knew slandered… It hurt.

'I was going through ihe rest of the old Prophets and there was a tiny announcement about Eileen Prince marrying a man called Tobias Snape, and then later an announcement saying that she'd given birth to a -'

'- murderer,' spat Harry.

'Well ...,' said Hermione looking at Gienah again. 'So ... I was sort of right. Snape must have been proud of being "half a Prince", you see? Tobias Snape was a Muggie from what it said in the Prophet'

'Yeah, that fits,' said Harry. 'He'd play up the pure-blood side so he could get in with Lucius Malfoy and the rest of them ... he's just like Voldemort. Pure-blood mother, Muggie father ... ashamed of his parentage, trying to make himself feared using the Dark Arts, gave himself an impressive new name - Lord Voldemort - the Half-Blood Prince - how could Dumbledore have missed -?'

He broke off, looking out of the window.

'I should've shown the book to Dumbledore,' said Harry. 'All that lime he was showing me how Voldemort was evil even when he was at school, and I had proof Snape was, too -'

'"Evil" is a strong word,' said Hermione quietly.

Silence fell between them, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Gienah wondered where Snape was now. If Dumbledore had planned this it couldn't have gone any better, apart from his being dead, Snape would never be doubted among his ranks ever again.

Eridanus squirmed in her lap. Gienah looked down at him and sighed. She would visit Guinevere later.. It couldn't be healthy. Keeping her a secret. Gienah unbuttoned her shirt and fed Eridanus as she mused over the Order and a world without Albus Dumbledore. Sure Harry was the symbol of hope, Dumbledore had been the symbol of light.

The Hogwarts Express would be leaving an hour after the funeral. Gienah and Zabini packed the night before and dressed Sirius and Eridanus is matching black suits.

"You looking devilishly handsome this morning Mr. Zabini." Gienah said as she fixed his tie.

"And you are a vision." Zabini said, leaning down to kiss her, only to have a gloved hand swat him away.

"I never thought I'd be going to Dumbledore's funeral.." Gienah said sadly. "It's like imagining a hairless Hagrid or a camp Crabbe."

"Those have to be the two weirdest things I've ever had to imagine." Zabini said, frowning.

"Exactly." Gienah said , finishing his tie and dusting his deep green waistcoat. "It's weird. I almost expect him to crash the funeral and say April's Fool!"

"Sounds mad enough to be plausible." Zabini agreed.

"Alright." Gienah said with one last look in the mirror. "Where are my two favourite boys?"

Down-stairs she found the mood in the Great Hall subdued. Everybody was wearing their dress robes and no one seemed very hungry. Professor McGonagall had left the throne like chair in the middle of the staff table empty. Hagrid's chair was deserted too but Snape's place had been unceremoniously filled by Rufus Scrimgeour. Gienah looked at him warily.

Over at the Slytherin table Crabbe and Goyle were muttering together. Hulking boys though they were, they looked oddly lonely without the tall, pale figure of Malfoy between them, bossing them around. Gienah felt guilty that she had not spared Malfoy much thought. He had Narcissa and Snape at least. Her heart went out for Ara, Atria and Atlas. Imagine growing up with Lord Voldemort under the very same roof.

Professor McGonagall rose to her feet and the mournful hum in the Hall died away at once.

'It is nearly time,' she said. 'Please follow your Heads of House out into the grounds. Gryffindors, after me.'

They filed out from behind their benches in near silence. When they reached the Entrance Hall, they found Madam Pince standing beside Filch, she in a thick black veil that fell to her knees, he in an ancient black suit and tie reeking of mothballs. They were heading, as Gienah saw when she stepped out on to the stone steps from the front doors, towards the lake. The warmth of the sun caressed her face as they followed Professor McGonagall in silence to the place where hundreds of chairs had been set out in rows. An aisle ran down the centre of them: there was a marble table standing at the front, all chairs facing it. It was the most beautiful summer's day.

An extraordinary assortment of people had already settled into half of the chairs: shabby and smart, old and young. Most Gienah did not recognise, but there were a few that she did, including members of the Order of the Phoenix: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, Charlie, Lupin, Sirius, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Bill supported by Fleur and followed by Fred and George, who were wearing jackets of black dragon skin. Then there was Madame Maxime, who took up two-and-a-half chairs on her own, Tom, the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron, Arabella Figg, Madam Malkin, of the robe shop in Diagon Alley, and some people whom she merely knew by sight, such as the barman of the Hog's Head and the witch who pushed the trolley on the Hogwarts Express. Firenze was standing like a sentinel near the water's edge. The castle ghosts were there too, barely visible in the bright sunlight, discernible only when they moved, shimmering insubstantially in the gleaming air.

Zabini, Gienah, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny filed into seats at the end of a row beside the lake. People were whispering to each other; it sounded like a breeze in the grass, but the birdsong was louder by far.

Then Gienah heard a chorus of merpeople singing in their strange language, their pallid faces rippling, their purplish hair flowing all around them. As she looked down into the wild faces of the singers she felt a rush of solidarity and bowed her head to the merchief.

Hagrid was walking slowly up the aisle between the chairs. He was crying quite silently, his face gleaming with tears, and in his arms, wrapped in purple velvet spangled with golden stars, was what Gienah knew to be Dumbledore's body.

A little tufty-haired man in plain black robes had got to his feet and stood now in front of Dumbledore's body. Gienah could not hear what she was saying. Odd words floated back to them over the hundreds of beads. 'Nobility of spirit' ... 'intellectual contribution' ... 'greatness of heart' ... it did not mean very much. It had little to do with Dumbledore as Gienah had known him. She suddenly remembered Dumbledore's idea of a few words: 'nitwit', 'oddment', 'blubber' and 'tweak.

As the little man in black droned on ... there was movement among the trees. The centaurs had come to pay their respects, too. They did not move into the open but Gienah saw them standing quite still, half-hidden in shadow, watching the wizards, their bows hanging at their sides.

Bright, white flames erupted around Dumbledore's body and the table upon which it lay: higher and higher they rose, obscuring the body. White smoke spiralled into the air. A phoenix fly joyfully into the blue, but next second the fire had vanished. In its place was a white marble tomb, encasing Dumbledore's body and the table on which he had rested.

There were a few more cries of shock as a shower of arrows soared through the air, but they fell far short of the crowd. It was, Gienah knew, the centaurs' tribute: she saw them turn tail and disappear back into the cool trees. Likewise the merpeople sank slowly back into the green water and were lost from view.

Gienah couldn't help but smile as tears fell from her face. The display from the merpeople, the centaurs - the presence of werewolves, giants and vampires. It was a show of strength, of solidarity and equality.

People began to murmur and Gienah looked down at Eridanus and kissed the bundle of life in his hands. It seemed strange to her to be at a funeral with baby in her arms. A reminder that life would not be life without death. In its antithesis it gains its meaning and it's beauty. To death for the sake of life and to Dumbledore for the sake of legends.

"What did Scrimgeour want?' Hermione whispered as Harry returned from his walk with the Minister of Magic. The four of them stood a few feet away from the gathering.

'Same as he wanted at Christmas,' shrugged Harry. 'Wanted me to give him inside information on Dumbledore and be the Ministry's new poster boy.'

Ron seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, then he said loudly to Hermione, 'Look, let me go back and hit Percy!'

'No,' she said firmly, grabbing his arm.

'It'll make me feel better!'

Harry laughed, Gienah chuckled and even Hermione grinned a little, though her smile faded as she looked up at the castle.

'I can't bear the idea that we might never come back.' she said softly. 'How can Hogwarts close?'

'Maybe it won't,' said Ron. 'We're not in any more danger here than we are at home, are we? Everywhere's the same now. I'd even say Hogwarts is safer, there are more wizards inside to defend the place. What d'you reckon?'

'I'm not coming back even if it does reopen,' said Gienah.

"Took the words right out of my mouth sis", Harry said with a small smile.

Ron gaped at them both, but Hermione said sadly, 'I knew you were going to say that. But then what will you do?"

'But where will you go if you don't come back to school?'

'I thought I might go back to Godric's Hollow,' Harry muttered. He had had the idea in his head ever since the night of Dumbledore's death. 'For me, it started there, all of it. I've just got a feeling I need to go there. And I can visit my parents' graves, I'd like that.'

'And then what?' said Ron.

"Then I've got to track down the rest of the Horcruxes, haven't I?' said Harry, his eyes upon Dumbledore's white tomb, reflected in the water on the other side of the lake. "That's what he wanted me to do, that's why he told me all about them. If Dumbledore was right - and I'm sure he was -there are still four of them out there. I've got to find them and destroy them and then I've got to go after the seventh bit of Voldemort's soul, the bit that's still in his body, and I'm the one who's going to kill him."

There was a long silence. The crowd had almost dispersed now, the stragglers giving the monumental figure of Grawp a wide berth as he cuddled Hagrid, whose howls of grief were still echoing across the water.

'We'll be there, Harry,' said Ron.

'What?'

"We'll go with you, wherever you're going.'

'No -' said Harry quickly.

'You said to us once before,' said Hermione quietly, 'that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?'

'We're with you whatever happens,' said Gienah.

The wake was held at the Hog's Head, organized by Hagrid and Sirius. There were none of the stuffy ministers or pesky reporters. There were the order, a few professors, the locals, the Weasley brothers and Harry, Gienah, Ron and Hermione. It was held in the evening after work resumed to restore the castle to its former glory.

"A bottle of firewhiskey." Gienah said to the barman.

"Gienah!" Hermione said as Ron and Harry grinned.

" _Honestly_ " Gienah smirked, mocking her favourite word. "If we can't drink to Dumbledore with decent alcohol we may not drink to him at all."

"Why does that make so much sense?" Tonks said from behind her. "Cousin - I'll drink to that logic."

"You'll drink to Dung's stolen cauldrons." Gienah snorted.

The barman handed her four glasses and a bottle of firewhiskey. Gienah poured them their drinks and raised her glass.

"To Dumbledore" Gienah said sombrely.

"To Dumbledore" The three friends repeated after her and downed their drinks. Gienah wiped her mouth and proceeded to pour herself another before they went to grab a table by Sirius and Lupin.

"Hullo, hullo friends of the great Albus Dumbledore." Hagrid said loudly, his voice carrying through the half empty pub. "Now we all 'eard the speech 'eld by that stuffy feller at the funeral…bu' we're here to send 'im off in style. Dumbledore was a lover of merriment, good company, an' a little bit of nonsense."

"And goblin's mead!" A drunken goblin huzzaed.

"Aye Proudfoot" Hagrid chuckled. "Now we're gonna' have a few speeches of our own. Sirius an' I are goin' to kick this off with a lil' song we prepared yester-day. It's called.. Farewell."

Gienah whooped.

Hagrid took a seat and brought out his flute and Sirius took a seat on the dusty old piano. Sirius began with a simple chord, and Hagrid played a mournful sound as Sirius's deep baritone filled the room, slow and raw sounding.

" _Farewell farewell friend,_

 _Of the wizarding folk,_

 _The goblins and the giants too,_

 _The centaurs and all the rest._

 _Farewell to the wizard!_

 _Of wisdom and greatness,_

 _Of beauty and benevolence_

 _Farewell farewell comrade,_

 _Keeper of the peace,_

 _Guardian of liberty_

 _Flag bearer to equality_

 _Farewell to the wizard!_

 _Of opportunity_

 _The symbol of all that is good_

 _The symbol of all that is light,_

 _To the world of darkness he wished to bring_

 _Crumbling to its scabby knees_

 _Holding the world in all its caprice_

 _Farewell farewell protector,_

 _The man of our time,_

 _Farewell to the wizard!_

 _The man of the hour_

 _To the man_

 _Who left us in his prime_

 _Times are hard, times are weary,_

 _In such times, life seems dreary,_

 _Fair is the sky, fair is the sea,_

 _Life goes on, among the debris_

 _Now we will mourn, we drink our sorrow,_

 _Tomorrow we will cry once more,_

 _How death has taken from our lives._

 _The pain is like but a thousand knives._

 _Singing to feel our losses, singing to feel our pain,_

 _A welcome feeling, we greet with joy,_

 _To the downpour of grief, to the downpour of rain,_

 _Falling from our blinded eyes_

 _Blinded with your absence,_

 _Blinded with your loss,_

 _Borne from your counsel._

 _Gone with your last breath_

 _Farewell farewell friend,_

 _Sorcerer and sage,_

 _Farewell to the wizard!_

 _We bid goodbye, we bid adieu_

 _With heavy hearts we drink to you!"_

"Bravo" Fred roared, clapping his hands on the table.

"Encore!"

The pub burst with applause and many a teary eye.

"I didn't know Sirius could sing" Hermione said over the noise, beaming at him as she clapped.

"Really?" Gienah laughed. "Merry ye hippogriff - no?"

"Thank ye' thank ye'" Hagrid said a little pink around the cheeks. "Now we'll have our first speech from Proudfoot!"

The goblin stood up on the piano with a drink in his hand.

"Evening, evening wizards, werewolf and giant."

A hag made a sound of complaint but Proudfoot continued.

"I grew up in a goblin town in the North. I lived in a small community, far from wizards and muggles and any other folk. We heard of them of course, our tradesmen did all the talking and we held a great deal of mistrust over wizarding folk. We heard talk of the wars and their ministry with their laws and their prohibitions. When I received my apprenticeship I was weary to say the least. And all my suspicions seemed to prove one night walking down a street to a pub in Diagon Alley a wizard attempts to rob me with your jiggery-pokery. Out of nowhere this tall wizard appears and gives the grown man a right talking to and just like that he hands over my bag of gold. Albus says to me "Now that nasty business is over perhaps you can buy me a drink?""

The crowd laughed.. Mundungus seemed to laugh a little nervously.

"I tell him alright and we head into the pub and there begins the beginning of a mutually exclusive relationship."

Bill chuckled.

"I'll keep this short." Proudfoot said. "Dumbledore lived with a ridiculous kind of optimism that was infectious. Drinking with him, you begin to hope. You think -one day it'll all change. We'll live in harmony once more. And I can't tell you whether that will ever happen but I can tell you this. That hope makes life a little bit more worth living."

Gienah smiled as she sobbed. Proudfoot looked over at her and winked. Sirius held her hand in his and squeezed and there was a scattering of applause and many a watery eye. Hagrid sobbed openly and blew his nose loudly on the tablecloth.

"Alrigh'" Hagrid said a little groggily. "Dung. Up you get yer scallywag."

"I'm not one fer many werds." Mundungus slurred in his thick cockney accent. "An' lets be honest- not much of a principle neiver. I wos neva gonna be some great wizard, or an 'ard-workin' man with a wife an' kids an' a white picket fence. I'm neva' gonna be on the straight and narrow and I doub' I'll give up me love affair with booze bu' I tell yer this. Dumbledore knew all of tha' and he neva treated me like the rest of yer. Like I was scum on the bottem of yer shoes. Not sayin' 'e ever approved of me lifestyle and never gave me a right bollockin' when I cocked up bu' he looked at me like I wos 'uman. Like I was even a equal. Gave me a chance, Dumbledore did, and no matter how many times I ask' him fer 'elp. 'E was there. I'd buy 'im a drink and he'd say c'est la vie my dear Mundungus, c'est la vie. So I tell ye's that 'e may be resting, gawd bless 'is soul, but c'est la vie me good friends, I tell ye's - to raise your glasses and c'est la fuckin' vie"

Lupin smirked at Dung, shook his head and clapped loudly. Arthur chuckled and the entire pub murmured c'est la vie.

Hagrid clapped Dung on the back as he stood up.

"Remus old man" Hagrid smiled at him fondly. "Yer gotta say summin'"

Lupin looked around in surprise.

"Go on Remus!" shouted Charlie.

Gienah joined in with the cried for his name and he finally stood up and walked to the small platform made of beer crates.

"I- Most of you know what I am. I was bitten as a toddler, something my father said, and Greyback decided his revenge would be to infect me with lycanthropy. I lived an isolated life, and I suppose most people would say, they never knew better- but I was an avid reader and I escaped through books and I lived the lives of hundreds of children and adults, the lives of orphans and the lives of kings and I deduced life could be better than this but I dared not hope. And one day, Dumbledore himself pays me a visit from a school I have only allowed myself to dream to attend - but the headmaster visited me personally - without an invitation and without any warning he came to door one day and said "How would you like to go to Hogwarts young man?" and by the time he left I dared to dream. He was the first playmaker in my life."

Lupin paused.

"I won't say the old man was a god, or an angel, or a saint, he was mortal and that made him.. beautiful. He made his mistakes same as all of us and he was humble, more than most of us, and he changed so many lives, not because he sought greatness but he saw within ourselves greatness. And that's all I have to say. All that needs to be said. To the man who saw what we failed to see. To the man that brought hope and to the man that believed."

"Amen." Sirius said, raising his glass. "I'll drink to that alright."

"Ah, tha' wos beautiful Remus" Hagrid said. "Beautiful. Alright.. Mad-eye. Yer turn."

Gienah looked around in surprise and saw Mad-Eye stand from a stool at the bar. He nodded at her as he walked past on his wooden leg.

"I ain't one for pretty words." Mad-Eye said gruffly. "But I'll make an exception for Albus. I neva' trusted easily."

George choked on his beer.

"Shut it Wetherby." Mad-Eye barked to the amusement of a few in the room that chuckled.

"Like I was sayin'. It don't come easy to me, not after thirty odd years in the auror service-"

This time Tonks choked on her drink and stage whispered "fifty".

Moody glowered at her.

"But if there's one man I'd trust with my life, it'd be old Albus." Moody continued. "Aye, the old fool would get on me goat, and an awful drinking buddy when yer need to just put your finger up at the world. Course, he wouldn't let yer. All was good and well in his eyes but he was no fool. No sir. You couldn't pull the cotton over his eyes if you tried. And I hear you Remus. He ain't a saint. But if there was a god on this earth, it'd be him in my eyes. I'm no congregant. I'm telling you as it was. I won't lying. When he died i was fuming, and not at that greasy haired bastard, but at Dumbledore. I've always said. I want to die fighting. I'm a warrior. Dumbledore, he ought to have died scheming. And even now I like to think his death hasn't left us in dragon dung. He's got a plan and we ought to keep fightin' coz he's seeing over us, the manipulative bastards up there somewhere, his blinkin' eyes twinkling like omniscient stars up in the bloomin' sky instilling us of that damned optimism of his that yer can't help but let it infect you - somehow."

"If that isn't the most romantic thing I've heard him say.." Tonks murmured.

Gienah clapped and beamed at him.

"Righ' we'll take a break - oh and if anyone wants to come up and do any ol' song come on up."

Ron groaned as Fred and George looked at each other and began bowing to each other with "After you's".

"This was a brilliant idea" Harry grinned.

"All Hagrid." Sirius said with a smile. "What'd you think of our lyrics?"

"I liked that it wasn't all sombre." Gienah said thoughtfully. "It felt like the right tone. You got another?"

"We tried a few different things but we might just improvise." Sirius winked at her. "Where are the twins?"

"With Zabini and Missy." Gienah said. "How's Rosie?"

"The first time I visited she wouldn't let go of me." Sirius said. "Now she seems fine, she's enjoying the company of children her age, next year you might.."

Gienah bit her lip nervously but let him continue. She wasn't sure how to tell them she and Harry were going horcrux hunting. Forgetting Sirius - how would she tell Zabini she would leave her three children with Missy at the cottage?

Sirius went to sit with Arthur after a while as Fred and George began their atrocious singing - though their lyrics were a right laugh.

" _Oh there once was an old wizard_

 _Who lived in a rook up the way,_

 _He was the king, he was the lord,_

 _He was the merry old coot we loved to goad,_

 _He liked to chuckle, he liked a jest,_

 _He could take a joke and all the rest_

 _He was a good old laugh_

 _You did forget, it would slip your mind,_

 _But counting all the years you'd find,_

 _He was prehistoric but a boy at heart,_

 _Who still laughed at silly old things like farts_

 _And burps and snorts and snots and grunts and toots_

 _A man who loved causing a racket, a rackus, a riot, a hoot_

 _The barmy old codger was as mad as a box of frogs_

 _But he was a lovable old fool and a gift from the gods,_

 _A man we're sad to see go, even though he was known to say_

 _The barmiest things, you could still quote him on a good day_

 _He once said, death is just life's next big adventure,_

 _So we wish him luck and godspeed,_

 _And wish him plenty of splendour and danger,_

 _So no we shan't wish him peace,_

 _He wouldn't want it, not a rest and not an eternal sleep,_

 _Goodbye old friend, goodbye headmaster goodbye_

 _May your life after death continue in the same way_

 _With much merriment and plenty of laughter"_

Gienah cheered and whistled as they finished their last song.

"It's been forty and some years I've taught at Hogwarts, and the same length of time Hogwarts has been graced with the greatest headmaster to date." Professor McGonagall began. "I don't think anyone fully appreciates how much Dumbledore put into that school. The hard work and the graft. The sleepless nights and the god awful hours whilst being the greatest wizard of our time. Between visiting students, and staff meetings, and luncheons with the governors and hiring teachers - a constant pain for Defence Against the Dark Arts - he has to find time to meet with bothersome ministers-"

"Here, here!" Harry cried.

"-and wizengamot and owls from all over the world seeking his advice and his council. He also had to make time for his friends, be it a drink at the Three Broomsticks or an afternoon spent knitting socks and manage a secret society to ridding us of a second dark lord. I want to stress that it didn't always come easy. Who did the greatest wizard turn to when he needed counsel? When he needed comfort? When he was drinking himself into oblivion every death anniversary of his sister? He lived a life of isolation on his pedestal and he deserved more than our praise. He deserves our appreciation for the life behind the awards and fancy titles. Albus deserves our humanity, not our servitude."

Gienah listened to the speech and looked at her professor, close to tears, the woman who'd seen far more of him day to day and understood some of the pain he hid so well and Gienah did then see him as more of a human and when she did, she was able to truly pay her respects to him.

"And now we'll 'ave another song." Hagrid said.

Sirius began playing a more complicated piano piece and then began singing in a voice that would haunt Gienah years from now.

" _O Angel of Death,_

 _O Angel Asrael,_

 _Come to take our souls,_

 _Come to set our sail,_

 _Come to steal our final breath._

 _We begin our voyage,_

 _To quell the voices,_

 _In our head_

 _We begin our final song,_

 _Prepare to come along_

 _Across the water,_

 _Past the borders,_

 _Beyond the horizon sea._

 _This world's sun has now set,_

 _The other is now rising._

 _You're spent of blood and sweat_

 _And tears from surviving_

 _Enough's enough,_

 _You welcome death with open arms,_

 _You'd rather snuff it, stuff it,_

 _Lifes a bluff and you don't want it!_

 _Can you hear it?_

 _Hear the flutter of his wings._

 _Can you hear it?_

 _The horn of death is calling_

 _Can you feel it?_

 _The depths of your soul is stirring_

 _Can you feel it?_

 _Your body becomes a burden_

 _It weighs you down and keeps you_

 _From spreading your wings and flying_

 _Spreading your wings and dying._

 _Death seems sweet and sleep enticing_

 _You look above you, see the city lights,_

 _Is it heaven? It looks so alluring._

 _So nice and bright, in the blackest of nights,_

 _You reach your arms up above you,_

 _Call for Asrael to come and find you,_

 _O Angel of Death, O Angel Asrael_

 _O Angel of Death, O Angel Asrael"_

 **EPILOGUE**

Although I have begun the second book in this trilogy, **WAR** , this story continues to be worked and preened. It is by no means finish and I am far from satisfied. The ending will not change. I wished to begin with the birth of our heroine and end with the death of our saviour. To those unhappy with how much I've borrowed from the books I understand, and they are there to continue the story for now. I will return to make the transitions more seamless, the plot lines much tighter and the content more original. All characters belong to Jo Rowling. Dear Gienah is my own.


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